


Resolving Conflict

by Little_Corn



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Brotherhood, Brotherly Love, Clairvoyance, Conflict, Conflict Resolution, Crimes & Criminals, Disappointment, Fights, Good, Government, Government Conspiracy, Hatred, Internal Conflict, Justice, M/M, Mind Manipulation, Moral Dilemmas, Plot, Superpowers, Telekinesis, Teleportation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 41
Words: 59,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23526586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Corn/pseuds/Little_Corn
Summary: A group of eight young adults fight hard to protect their city from malicious crimes, but they aren't the usual people you would see on the streets. There's something special about this group and the individuals inside -- they possess special abilities. Superpowers.There's nothing wrong with being heroes, but things start to get a bit different when the government finds out about destroyed buildings and high maintenance costs. Do they comply and stop? Do they stick to their morals and do what they think is correct?Walk through the story as the members break apart from conflicting opinions and then reconcile as they uncover the truth together. These 8 unique young men are on a journey full of quarrels, hardships, and heated arguments, but they will realize in the end that these are all part of one thing - resolving conflict.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Everyone, Choi Jongho/Jeong Yunho, Choi San/Everyone, Choi San/Jeong Yunho, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Everyone, Jeong Yunho/Park Seonghwa, Jung Wooyoung/Everyone, Kang Yeosang/Everyone, Kim Hongjoong/Everyone, Park Seonghwa/Everyone, Song Mingi/Everyone
Comments: 21
Kudos: 154
Collections: From ATEEZ to Alternare





	1. Records

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ATEEZ fanfic, so I hope you like it :)  
> The story will be quite long, but I try to put a lot of exciting bits in there so hopefully you don't get bored. There will be a dramatic (or as good as I can make it) climax though ;)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Government records of the group of 8 superhumans in Seoul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little info chapter for you to refer back to if you forget their powers xd

**Name of Organization:** _Alternare_

**No. of Members:** 8

 **No. of Elite*** Members:** 5

 **No. of Skilled** Members:** 2

 **No. of Common* Members:** 1

**Current base:** _unknown_

\---

** Hongjoong ** *******

**Full name:** Kim Hongjoong

 **DOB** **:** 7/11/1998

 **Age:** 22

 **Power:** Mind Control - _ability to read one's thoughts and instill ideas in said person's mind; effective for a few minutes at a time_

 **Danger level:** 10

 **Notes:** Leader and founder of the group.  
  
  


** Seonghwa ** *******

**Full name:** Park Seonghwa

 **DOB:** 3/4/1998

 **Age:** 22

 **Power:** Clairvoyance - _ability to perceive and predict events happening in the future; "visions" vary in length and appears in a random behavior; effective as long as concentration is maintained_

 **Danger level:** 7

 **Notes:** Location and details of criminal acts are retrieved using this member's powers.  
  
  


** Yunho ** *******

**Full name:** Jeong Yunho

 **DOB** **:** 23/3/1999

 **Age:** 21

 **Power:** Telekinesis - _ability to control objects purely with one's mind; effective when concentration and focus is maintained at a high level; energy levels deplete rapidly when power is used_

 **Danger level:** 9

 **Notes:** Older brother of Choi Jongho.  
  
  
  


** Yeosang ** ******

**Full name:** Kang Yeosang

 **DOB** **:** 15/6/1999

 **Age:** 21

 **Skill:** Extraordinary levels of intelligence (unknown IQ)

 **Danger level:** 4

 **Notes:** Mastermind behind operations and escape routes.  
  
  


**San** *

 **Full name:** Choi San

 **DOB** **:** 10/7/1999

 **Age:** 21

 **Power/Skill:** none

 **Danger level:** 0

 **Notes:** Former roommates with Jeong Yunho. Only normal (common) member in the group. Works as gatekeeper and driver during operations.  
  
  
  


** Mingi ** ******

**Full name:** Song Mingi

 **DOB** **:** 9/8/1999

 **Age:** 21

 **Skill:** High mobility and strength

 **Danger level:** 7

 **Notes:** Assists in operations, especially when powers don't have to be wasted or when members are fatigued and weakened from overuse of powers.  
  
  
  


** Wooyoung ** *******

**Full name:** Jung Wooyoung

 **DOB** **:** 26/11/1999

 **Age:** 21

 **Power:** Teleportation - _ability to travel from one place or another instantaneously; only effective if power wielder has a clear visual image of the desired destination; limited to teleporting one more person other than themselves._

 **Danger level:** 5

 **Notes:** Usually teleports alone to block criminals' paths. Teleports members to location of operation only when absolutely necessary (absence of a cool down allows this to be done).  
  
  
  


** Jongho ** *******

**Full name:** Choi Jongho

 **DOB** **:** 12/10/2000

 **Age:** 20

 **Power:** Aerokinesis (Air Manipulation) - _ability to manipulate and control air molecules and wind currents to a certain extent purely with one's mind; effective when concentration is maintained._

 **Danger level:** 8

 **Notes:** Younger brother of Jeong Yunho. Usually creates "shields" using powers to protect members. 

\---

*** Elite members: members with supernatural powers that can't be explained using modern science.

** Skilled members: members with exceptional attributes that normal humans don't usually possess.

* Common members: members with no powers or skills at all. A normal human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try to post at least two times a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays.   
> Hopefully you're not mad that San is the only person without super powers xp. I did this to make the relationships within the group more interesting.


	2. Operation 0

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group’s first mission in the timeline of this story.

"Put on your masks and let's go," Hongjoong ordered, "We have no time to waste." He tied an eye mask around his skull and pulled a black mask over his mouth. Surveying the room with his keen eyes, he made sure everyone else was doing the same.

All except 3 people followed the leader. San and Seonghwa, who will be staying at their base today, were hunched over a laptop, going over their typed up plan one last time to check for any flaws. Hongjoong's eyes went straight past them and landed onto Wooyoung, whose face was still exposed and identifiable.

"I still don't understand why we have to wear disguises," Wooyoung complained, his hands by his sides clutching onto the black strip of cloth. "Aren't we the good guys? Why do we have to hide?"

Hongjoong resisted the urge to sigh. Patience was a big part of his job. He was wondering how to answer the younger in an understanding tone when Yeosang came to the rescue.

"You're right," Yeosang replied, giving Hongjoong an I know it's hard look. He walked over to Wooyoung and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're good. But not everyone thinks that. Some people think we're doing the opposite - disrupting the peace and destroying order."

"But-" Wooyoung started to retort, but Yeosang's stern glare silenced him.

"So," Yeosang stressed, "we can't let those people know who we are, not unless you want to be chased down and suffer the consequences after being caught."

It had to be the 10th time Wooyoung heard this explanation, but he still got a bit spooked out whenever his hyungs reminded him of it. Yeosang removed his hand from the younger's shoulder and all the other members walked towards the door as Wooyoung put on his disguise.

San and Seonghwa gave their teammates a thumbs up - an indication that the plan was perfect and ready to be executed - and said their final goodbye.

-

"Hold my hand," Wooyoung said, holding out his hand to Hongjoong.

The six of them were outside a bank center, where a major heist was about to happen. The thieves were already in the vault, stuffing as much gold as they can into their bags. The guards would already be lying on the floor, unconscious...or worse. Hongjoong shuddered at the thought as he grabbed onto the outstretched hand.

"Three,"

"Two,"

"One."

The rest of the group - Yunho, Jongho, Mingi, and Yeosang - looked at the space in front of them where Wooyoung and Hongjoong just were, completely unfazed by now. Less than a second later, Wooyoung reappeared, his hand already reaching out for the next person. His purple bangs were still perfectly laid upon his forehead as if teleportation was a task as insignificant as breathing.

Within a minute, everyone was crouching behind the vault door, holding their breaths to keep as quiet as possible.

Hongjoong nodded to the youngest member, Jongho. Recalling the next step of the plan, Jongho stood up carefully and lifted his hands. After a few simple gestures, he turned to the others and whispered, "We can talk now, but keep out of sight."

The vault wasn't very big, and it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, but the thieves proceeded on with their heist, oblivious to Jongho's voice.

Yunho gave his brother a thumbs up. Jongho had pushed away a circular strip of air molecules between them and the thieves so that the sounds they made wouldn't be heard outside of the invisible circle.

The rest of the group started to stand up, but Wooyoung remained crouching. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

"You ok?" Mingi asked, bending his knees again to reach the member.

"Yea, just a bit dizzy from all the teleporting," Wooyoung replied.

Mingi unlatched a small canteen from his belt and offered it to Wooyoung, who glugged down the water gratefully.

The next step of the plan was to wait. They could go in and arrest the criminals right now, but they had to think about themselves too. As Yeosang said, they didn't want to leave enough time for the police to find them and figure out who they were.

So they would follow the thieves' escape route and catch them once they were outside, so they could run back to their base quickly. Unfortunately, there was no more plan after this, because Seonghwa's vision could only last so long. That's why they had to be inside the building in the first place instead of outside blocking the criminals' route. It would be much easier that way, but compromises had to be made.

Wooyoung handed the canteen back as Hongjoong gave the hand signal. He was peeking behind the vault door, and he saw that the thieves were getting ready to leave.

Mingi and Wooyoung stood up as the leader waved his hand frantically for the others to follow. "There's a secret exit in the vault. They might've made it beforehand." Hongjoong sprinted into the vault and led the group to the hole in the wall.

No one questioned how the hole came by. Instead, they crawled into the hole one after the other, keeping in mind what their leader had said. They got no time to waste.

As a precaution, Jongho entered first, just in case the thieves turned around, saw them, and started using firearms they most probably had. It was hard to explain, but with some bizarre physics, Jongho could form a makeshift shield and somehow stop any projectiles before they could come close enough to hurt the members.

The other side of the hole was nothing near what the team had expected. Instead of somewhere secluded outside the building, they found themselves in front of a long hallway which looked like it might've led to another vault.

They couldn't see anything on the other end of the hallway, but it was quite obvious that whatever was over there was important, thanks to the dense laser lines being shot out from guns all over the walls, floor, and ceiling.

"Why would they dig a hole just to come here?" Mingi wondered out loud.

Yeosang frowned. "There's only one possible explanation. They must've known we would come. They chose a hard escape route, hoping to slow us down."

Their targets - four in total - were nowhere to be seen. But there was only one way to go from the hole, so the objective was clear to the leader: go forward.

Hongjoong looked at Wooyoung, saw his pale lips, and decided it was best to go for another tactic. "Mingi, do you think you can go through this?"

Everyone knew how much more agile and speedy Mingi was compared to any of them, but the obstacle course in front of them was daunting even for Mingi's standards.

Mingi hesitated. He felt a comforting hand on his back.

"Mingi," Hongjoong urged, looking at his watch and the second hand slowly ticking his time away. He didn't want to, but he would ask Wooyoung to teleport again if he had to.

"Yes, I can go through," Mingi replied, confidence returning from saying it out loud.

"Good. After you're through, don't wait for us and chase after them. When they're outside the building, hide and don't let them spot you. We'll go back the way we came and meet you outside."

"How will we know where to go once we're outside?" Yunho asked.

"I will read Mingi's mind."

A moment of silence settled among the members. All of them knew the ramifications behind those words, but no one was brave enough to point out the obvious. The only sound accompanying them was the low humming of lasers less than a meter away from them.

"I know what you're thinking." Hongjoong looked at his team members with solemnly. It would take much more energy than Wooyoung did to teleport 7 people to read the mind of someone he couldn't even see.

"But it's the only thing I can think of right now." The leader's voice was grim, but his eyes told the members that he had already made the decision.

"Alright, I'm ready," Mingi announced, cracking his knuckles. "Give me a few minutes. No more than 10."

With that, he rushed off into the maze of red beams. Not only was he fast, but he was also flexible too. He bent his body into various shapes as he dodged the lasers, while somehow navigating his way towards the other side by lifting his legs and stepping over the red lines. No one could fully make out each individual move Mingi made, because his skilled body made them in such rapid succession that a pair of normal human eyes couldn't possibly catch up. His movements were so swift and fluid that the members were momentarily mesmerized.

But they didn't have spare time to keep watching. When Mingi was only a few laser beams away from his destination, Hongjoong made his way back from where they came from, motioning for his teammates to follow.

With the help of Yeosang's knowledge towards architecture, the group managed to find a more secluded back stairwell that led to a back exit of the building. However, there was a problem. Two guards with large firearms stood at the sides of the door, blocking their only way out.

"You can't," Jongho warned before his leader could say anything. "I know what you're thinking. But you won't have enough energy to control their minds and read Mingi's mind later on."

Hongjoong knew what the maknae said was right. It was hard enough to cloud one - let alone two - person's mind enough to make them totally disregard 5 people barging straight past them. It went without saying that he couldn't possibly be in the right condition after that to read a third person's mind, especially when the said person was a bit more special that normal human beings, which only increased the difficulty of the task.

The leader gripped the metal banister. He could feel the seconds and minutes slipping away as he pictured Mingi hiding somewhere, clenching his teeth while waiting for his teammates to arrive.

"I'm going to have to," Hongjoong said.

Before anyone could say anything else, he rounded the corner and looked at the two guards, who immediately went into action and lifted their firearms.

"Who are you?" The guard on the left shouted. His partner steadied his gun with one hand and took out his walkie talkie with his right. He then started to report everything he saw to whoever was on the other side.

Ignoring all of this, Hongjoong closed his eyes and focused. Perspiration dotted his forehead as his eyebrows deepened into a frown. His whole body tensed, though no one could tell from the outside.

The guards started to approach Hongjoong, but they only made it up to the first step of the staircase. After that, they blinked, swiveled their head around, and stared at their upraised firearms with confused expressions. The two men consulted each other, but no one seemed to know what was happening.

Without questioning further, they shrugged and returned to their designated spots, as if Hongjoong wasn't standing right in front of them with a group of 4 behind him.

With great difficulty, Hongjoong opened his eyes and nodded his head. He couldn't say anything, but his message was clear. Go now.

Yunho walked down the last flight of stairs, slid himself between the guards, and pushed open the door, careful not to touch either of the strangers beside him.

Hongjoong was the last to exit the building. His face was red and sweating from the exertion. Jongho had to help him stand upright. Yunho and Wooyoung were nowhere to be seen.

Jongho saw the concerned expression on his leader's face. "Don't worry, Mingi was hiding right behind that bush. You don't have to do any more mind reading. They're after the thieves right now," Jongho explained. "You should sit down."

Hongjoong acquiesced, convincing himself that he should trust his members.

On the other side of the small cluster of vegetation, Yunho, Wooyoung, and Mingi were chasing down a car that had just left a cul-de-sac.

"We're not fast enough," Mingi pointed out. They watched as the car accelerated towards the main road, trying to think of a plan.

Yunho observed his surroundings. They were the only people in this cul-de-sac, and there was a stretch of road before the car could go anywhere near the main road, where all the cars and people were. An idea planted firmly in his mind when he spotted the trees and streetlamps on the sidewalk.

"Stand back," Yunho warned. His eyes were trained on the car, calculating how much time he had before it disappeared around the bend.

Wooyoung opened his mouth to question, but Mingi shut him up and pulled him away from Yunho.

Yunho lifted his arm towards the direction of the tree that was a few meters away from the moving vehicle. He clenched his hand into a fist, raised his arm imperceptibly, released his fingers, and rotated his hand.

The tree immediately fell sideways and landed inches away from the car with a loud crash. The hood of the car was crushed by the impact, but the thieves inside were unaffected other than mild shock.

"Woah," Wooyoung commented, though he didn't have the opportunity to say more, because of the police sirens that were growing louder and more piercing by the second.

"We have to go," Yunho said. "Hopefully that stopped them long enough." He turned around and ushered Wooyoung and Mingi towards the opposite direction of police cars. His head was aching slightly from using his powers, but making a tree fall was nothing compared to what he could actually do.

The team met up again at the back exit of the bank center. There was no time for compliments and words of encouragement. Together they ran into the all-too-familiar narrow alleyways and disappeared into the dark, starless night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first ever ATEEZ fanfic, so forgive me if the characters don't really reflect the members' personality in real life 🙇🏻 I don't really read ATEEZ fanfictions, so I'm not sure what ATINY's like in terms of genres, so I apologize too if this is not your taste 🙇🏻
> 
> But thanks for sticking to the end of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please continue reading! I promise it's going to be an exciting read :)
> 
> Also, this chapter is longer than the other chapters in this story because I wanted to include everyone's superpowers 😆 You can expect each chapter to be about 1200 words after this one. 
> 
> \- KCGG_Goddess


	3. Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group celebrates after successfully completing a mission.

"You're back!" San exclaimed, rushing to the front door to meet his teammates. Everyone was tired and worn out from their mission, but they smiled once they saw their enthusiastic friend. 

"You're already on breaking news," Seonghwa said in the background, who was sitting on the sofa, finger pointing to the TV. 

"Did they mention a tall, muscular, and handsome guy?" Mingi asked, taking off his shoes.

Seonghwa gave him a half-hearted chuckle. "No..." Seonghwa ignored the hint of disappointment that crossed over Mingi's face. "But they did give us a name."

"A name?" Hongjoong asked from the kitchen, where he was pouring a cup of water for himself. Meanwhile, San was hugging Wooyoung and complimenting him for his hard work. 

"Yea," Seonghwa replied. "People figured out that it's the same group of people who are stopping these crimes, but they have no idea who we are, so they gave us a name, _Alternare._ "

Jongho, not liking the excessive skinship action happening next to him, walked over to the living room. "What does that even mean?" 

Seonghwa shrugged, but instead of consulting the news on the TV or the internet, he looked at Yeosang. 

"It's Latin for 'alternative'," Yeosang answered as if that was a piece of information everyone should already know. "Probably meaning we're kind of the alternative of police," he added. 

Jongho nodded. "Ah, I see." 

"I like the meaning behind it," Yunho commented. He sat down next to Seonghwa and leaned back to get a moment of shut-eye. 

Seonghwa picked up the remote and turned off the TV. "You should go rest. It's getting late." 

Lying on a soft mattress did sound very appealing, but Yunho was too tired to budge. Jongho yawned and pulled at Yunho's arm, trying to get his brother to stand up while also preventing him from falling asleep on the sofa.

Mingi and Hongjoong disappeared into their rooms after saying a brief "goodnight". 

San waved goodnight before turning back to Wooyoung. "Do you want some tea? It'll help you sleep better." 

Wooyoung looked at San with droopy eyes and shook his head. His eye mask was still on, which San found funny considering how much the younger hated it. Smiling, he reached behind Wooyoung's head and untied the mask for him. 

"Thanks," mumbled Wooyoung, now craving for a comfortable bed to collapse onto.

Reading his expression, San held Wooyoung's hand and walked him to his room.

Eventually, Yunho gave in (because Jongho was starting to put more force into his pulls), and the brothers left the living room as well.

"Goodnight," Seonghwa said. He stood by the sofa.

"Aren't you going to sleep too?" Jongho asked, releasing his grip on Yunho and letting him go in first.

Seonghwa diverted his eyes. "I..." He paused as if he changed his mind about what he wanted to say. "I just have something on my mind." 

"Do you-" Jongho started. 

Seonghwa interrupted as he shook his head. "It's fine," he smiled. "I'm going to go to sleep soon, I promise. You should go to sleep, you look awful." 

Jongho chuckled. "Ok then." He turned around and disappeared into the hallway.

As soon as he heard the click of a door closing, Seonghwa sat down again and closed his eyes. He thought having a small celebration tomorrow would be a good idea...

-

"Can you stop eating like that?" Jongho looked at his brother with judgemental eyes. "It's weird."

Yunho bit into his hotdog, which was floating in midair with the help of his mind. "What?" He retorted, swallowing the food. "I'm just practicing." Yunho's eyes followed the hotdog as it set down lightly on his plate. Hongjoong caught Jongho's eye roll and laughed.

"What's so funny?" San asked, who just arrived from work. He was the only person with a full-time job, and he was still wearing a suit. He loosened his tie as he sat down on the only empty seat, which happened to be straight across Wooyoung. 

It was Seonghwa's idea. The group of eight sat around a long table, having dinner together as a celebration after their success. All of the thieves were arrested, and all the valuables were retrieved and returned to the bank. 

"Nice job, guys." Hongjoong raised his cup, prompting everyone else to follow.

"Cheers!" The men said in unison. The cups were immediately emptied with large gulps, followed by satisfied sighs. No one expected their lives to take such a unique turn, but they were making the best of it, and that was all that matters.

Jongho refilled everyone's cups. "By the way, how did you stop the thieves in the end?" His question was directed to Mingi, Yunho, and Wooyoung. Mingi was too busy stuffing chips in his mouth to answer, and Wooyoung...well, let's just say he was too interested in the loosened tie around San's neck that he didn't even hear the question. 

Yunho felt the attention drift to him and grinned sheepishly. "Well...I made a tree fall right in front of their getaway car." 

Mingi, who was apparently listening in the whole time, stopped eating and eyed Hongjoong. The leader swallowed his bite and washed it down with alcohol. He looked at Yunho and sighed. 

Hongjoong waited until Yunho looked back at him before talking. "We've been through this."

"I know," Yunho answered quietly, looking down at his lap. His fingers had unconsciously intertwined together and were now squeezing tightly. He found Hongjoong's eyes again. "But they were going to get away if I didn't do something quickly." 

No one was eating anymore. Even Wooyoung sensed the tense atmosphere and looked away from San. 

"It's not his fault," Jongho said, blaming himself for asking the question in the first place.

Hongjoong massaged the place between his eyebrows with two fingers. "But what if that happened again?"

The whole restaurant seemed to go silent. The ambient noises muffled. The question hung in the air above the table, weighing down on everyone's shoulders. It was suddenly very stuffy. They found it hard to breathe. A few of them wanted a drink of water, but no one dared to move. 

Yunho flinched, even though Hongjoong hadn't raised his voice or anything. He untangled his hands and tried to place them on his laps, but they were shaking too badly to settle in once place.

Seonghwa spotted the discomfort on Yunho's face. "Hongjoong," he warned. 

Hongjoong ignored Seonghwa. "Don't you remember?"

Yunho nodded. Of course he did. He remembered what his hands did on their very first mission. He was chasing down a serial killer. Or he thought he was. He forgot how exactly they changed roles, but somehow he became the one being chased down. He remembered the bloody knife inches away from his face. He remembered the smell. And his heart pounding in his ears. He remembered the fear. The fear that made him lose control.

The serial killer was found dead later. 

Yunho escaped unhurt. Physically, at least.

"It won't happen again," Yunho said, his voice returning. That was just an accident. And it was history now. He had to get over his mistake. 

It was Jongho who broke the tension. "Hyung, stop drinking." He took the shot cup from Seonghwa's hand. He kept count. It was the fifth cup since he asked the stupid question. 

Yunho's hands stopped shaking. He rubbed his palms to get some warmth back in them. Then he looked at Seonghwa and saw his dazed eyes. 

"I'll bring him out to get some fresh air," Yunho suggested. He wasn't sure who needed it more: him or Seonghwa. But it didn't matter. He just wanted to get out. 

"You guys keep having fun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was one tense celebration, huh? Don't worry, though, Hongjoong isn't a bad guy, he's just overprotective and extra cautious since he's the leader.
> 
> What will Yunho and Seonghwa do once they're alone outside? Stick around to find out!
> 
> \- KCGG_Goddess


	4. Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa and Yunho has a private talk outside the restaurant.

The nightlife in Seoul was lively and bustling with noise. Cars zoom past pedestrians on the road, hurrying to arrive at their destinations. The streets were busy with people strolling around, carrying loaded plastic bags with various logos on them while chatting with their companions about what they should eat for dinner. Neon signs hung on the sides of buildings, outshining the stars in the night sky and showing off their appeal with their attractive icons. 

Everything and everyone had something to do. There was simply no room for rest, peace, or quiet. This was the time and place to let loose and have fun.

Yunho allowed Seonghwa to lean on him as they walked to the seats outside the restaurant that were meant for customers waiting for a table. 

"Are you ok?" Yunho asked. Are you drunk? was more the question Yunho wanted to ask. He had never seen the older drink so much before. In fact, Seonghwa was always the one who prevented the members from going overboard. 

Seonghwa looked like he might fall asleep any second. But he smiled and nodded. It was a lopsided smile, but at least it told Yunho he was sober enough to understand words. "Yea, I'm fine. I'm just a bit dizzy."

Yunho was relieved to hear Seonghwa's perfect enunciation. The drunk would slur their words. "Of course. Do you have any idea how much you drank? And what you drank?" They ordered some strong alcohol tonight. Yunho wondered if Seonghwa did it on purpose.

"Do you have something on your mind?" Seonghwa was staring straight ahead, perhaps at the carefree teenagers across the road on the opposite side. Yunho couldn't tell if his words registered in the other's head. 

"Not really," Seonghwa replied. "I just think that Hongjoong shouldn't have said that. He was too harsh on you." 

Knowing someone cared about him, Yunho smiled and felt his heart swell. "It's no big deal. I understand why he was so anxious." He looked down at his hands again and started fiddling with his fingers. "I did make a mistake. We both agree on that." 

"Everyone makes mistakes," Seonghwa said, trying to comfort Yunho. 

"Hongjoong wants me to completely stop using my powers unless it's insignificant, like retrieving objects that are out of reach." Yunho let out a sigh. He was about to tell Seonghwa something he never told anyone, not even his own brother. It was hard to open up his heart, but the alcohol must be starting to take effect, giving him a burst of courage. 

"The truth is, I don't want to give up. I want to fix my mistake, not evade it and prevent it from happening." Seonghwa turned his head to look at Yunho, who still had his head dipped. "I have to practice until I can control my powers completely. I mean, everyone else is doing well. I feel like it's only fair to the team if I contribute too. I'm not giving my best otherwise. I wouldn't deserve to be part of you if I simply avoid using...these." Yunho lifted his hands and let it fall back lifelessly on his thighs. 

Seonghwa placed a hand on Yunho's shoulders and angled his head so he could see the younger's face. "Hey, don't say that. Every single one of us is important to the team. There wouldn't be an us if you weren't here. You're as important as anyone of us." 

Yunho lifted his head. "Even if I keep making mistakes?"

Seonghwa nodded. Under the neon lights, his eyes were glimmering with sincerity. "Even if you make mistakes."

Yunho felt his lips curl up instinctively. "Thanks. For saying that, and...for listening." And it was true. Yunho's heart was much lighter now, as if Seonghwa's words had gotten rid of all the heavy things inside. 

The pair fell silent as they took a moment to slow down and reflect on their thoughts in this busy city. 

A burst of laughter escaped the restaurant through the opened doors. Seonghwa's hand slipped away. The sensation reminded Yunho of the reason they were outside in the first place. 

"Are you sure you have nothing else on your mind?" Yunho asked. Then, to sound less invasive, he added, "I just want you to know that I'm here to listen if you need it. You helped me a lot today, so I'm happy to return the favor." 

It was Seonghwa's turn to sigh. He bit his lips. After half a minute of deep rumination, he finally said, "It's too early to worry about this." Confused, Yunho opened his mouth to ask questions, but Seonghwa didn't let him. "Just don't do anything stupid." 

Yunho couldn't tell if it was a joke. "Like what?"

"You know, just anything that would hurt the team." 

Instead of being offended, Yunho felt more puzzled than ever. Was the alcohol making Seonghwa say weird things? "Why would I do that? I thought you understand that what happened during our first mission was just an accident." 

"I'm not talking about that." Yunho noticed that Seonghwa wouldn't keep eye contact for more than a few seconds. Something wasn't right. Drunk people couldn't talk so coherently, right?

Unease settled in Yunho's stomach. Ironically, the alcohol - a depressant - in his blood was slowing down his brain and keeping him calm. "Then what are you talking about?"

Seonghwa hesitated for a long time. "It doesn't matter. I trust that you'll always do the best for our group." 

Yunho couldn't think of a suitable response quickly enough. He watched Seonghwa walk away. He had no idea what to think of the conversation, but he believed that Seonghwa would open up once he was ready. For now, he was willing to pretend it was the alcohol making everything so weird.

Back inside the restaurant, Yunho caught Hongjoong's apologetic gaze. "It's ok, hyung. I forgive you. Let's just have fun tonight."

Hongjoong smiled gratefully. The atmosphere around the table had lightened a lot since Yunho and Seonghwa went outside. "We swapped the beer for soft drinks. Do you want some?" 

"Sure," Yunho said, reaching for a can of coke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think is bothering Seonghwa? 🤔
> 
> Yunho and Seonghwa are the main characters of this chapter, but the others will be back very soon :)
> 
> Thank you for reading so far and get ready for some quick escalation in the next update!


	5. Intrusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title kind of gives it away...I don't want to spoil so much here ;)

Hongjoong insisted that the group gets a few days of rest in between each mission. So the members were either relaxing in their base, working, or visiting their friends and family outside.

"I'm heading out!" San declared, standing by the doorway. Only Seonghwa, Yunho, and Jongho were in the apartment. Yeosang got a tutoring job for his distant niece, Hongjoong was visiting his parents, Wooyoung was having fun with his old high school friends, and Mingi...no one knew where Mingi was, but everyone would guess he'd be somewhere eating.

"Have fun at work!" Jongho said, eyes glued to the variety show on TV as he stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth.

San glared at the youngest member, hoping to burn a hole through the pack of salty snacks. But alas, he didn't have any cool superpowers like the others, except maybe the physical capacity and willpower to work 8 hours a day and still help the team out during operations.

Yunho, who scrambled to get out the shower after hearing San, emerged from the hallway with moist, messy hair and a towel on his shoulders. "Be careful on the roads! Thanks again for being so hardworking." He smiled as he walked up to San.

Looking away from Jongho, San stretched out his arms for a hug. It gave him all the energy he needed for work.

"Who's going with you?"

Yunho and San separated and looked at Seonghwa, who had apparently just came out of his room.

"No one," San replied. He stole a glance at Yunho, who had the same darkness in his eyes. They could both tell that Seonghwa - with the alert eyes and rigid posture - was acting a bit strange this morning.

Jongho's attention switched from the commercial break on TV to the three people standing in the living room. Everyone was waiting for Seonghwa to say something, but his eyes were unfocused and his hands were shuffling inside his hoodie pocket. His eyebrows twitched as if they wanted to deepen into a frown.

"Is something wrong?" Yunho asked, observing the subtle body language.

Seonghwa's gaze settled on Yunho tentatively. "Maybe you should go with San," he said after a moment of hesitation. It sounded more like a question than a suggestion.

Yunho looked at San and then back at Seonghwa. "Why?"

Seonghwa looked away to stare at a spot behind Yunho.

The commercial break ended and the theme music of the variety show blasted through the speakers. Jongho scrambled for the remote to lower the volume, and then returned to watching the show, trying to act natural.

San checked his watch. "Shoot, I'm going to be late." He reached for the door handle. "Are you coming or not?"

Yunho waited for Seonghwa to answer his question, but the older was now staring at San with a concerned expression.

"Maybe next time..." Yunho replied, turning away from Seonghwa reluctantly. He was starting to think that he should've forced Seonghwa to talk yesterday night.

San snorted. "You _always_ say that. _All_ of you. You know how lonely I am?"

Yunho smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Now go quickly, or you'll actually be late."

"Ok, ok." San sighed and walked out the door.

"Be careful," Seonghwa said just as the door clicked shut as if he just realized San was leaving.

Yunho turned around, but Seonghwa was already walking back to his room. He sat next to Jongho instead, and whispered, "Don't you think Seonghwa's acting weird lately?"

Jongho shrugged indifferently, eyes still fixated on the TV screen. "All my hyungs are weird."

Rolling his eyes, Yunho picked up the remote and switched off the TV. That maneuver earned a deadly glare from his brother, but Yunho was fully prepared. Before Jongho could do anything to retrieve the remote, Yunho said, "You know I'm going to win, so don't even try to take it away from me. You can answer my question seriously or you can wait until the show ends before you get the remote back. Your choice."

After an exaggerated, dragged out sigh, Jongho acquiesced. "Fine." Both of them knew Yunho had stronger powers.

Yunho didn't have time to feel triumphant. He repeated his question.

"Yes," Jongho eyed the remote in Yunho's lap but thought twice about it and relaxed before he could subconsciously summon a gust of wind that would carry the remote into his hand. "Of course I noticed he's acting weird. He _never_ drinks so much."

Yunho nodded in assent. "Is there more?"

Knowing he could never hide anything from his brother, he immediately dismissed the idea of lying. "We sat next to each other in the back of the taxi on the return trip. I think everyone else was asleep."

"Get to the point," Yunho urged.

Jongho wanted nothing more than to murder his brother at this point, but he swallowed his anger for the sake of his variety show. "You know the notepad Seonghwa carries everywhere? The one he records all his visions in? He was staring at the same page the whole trip. He grabbed it with so much force the sides of the paper crumpled. He never moved once, not even to stretch his neck. I had to remind him to get off the car when we arrived."

Yunho's frown deepened with every line of description. He handed the remote back absentmindedly. "Thanks."

Jongho's fingers itched to press the power button, but he caught the troubled expression on Yunho's face and sighed internally. He couldn't pretend everything's fine after he saw that face on his brother.

"Did something happen when you and Seonghwa were outside last night?"

Yunho recalled the conversation he had yesterday. Despite being slightly drunk, he could remember every single word Seonghwa said as if they were ingrained into the walls of his skull. "Well...Seonghwa said some really weird things. But I assumed it was because of the alcohol." 

Jongho nodded. Then, after muttering something under his breath, his head snapped up. "Wait, what do you mean you _assumed_? What did he say exactly?"

Yunho could no longer ignore the growing urgency in his heart. One sentence kept repeating over and over again in his mind. _Don't do anything stupid,_ Seonghwa had said. He had no idea what that meant, but the puzzle pieces were starting to make loose connections. A blurry picture formed in his mind, and he realized a moment too late that he had already done something he was specifically told _not_ to.

He clenched his fist and cursed, which was the exact same moment the brothers heard a series of loud bangs on the front door.

Seonghwa slammed open his bedroom door and sprinted to the front door. He gripped the handle and turned to the brothers. "Prepare yourself," he said grimly. His eyes were trembling with guilt and despair as if they were saying _I'm sorry_.

Yunho and Jongho stood up as the door opened.

Three men in business suits barged in, forcing Seonghwa to step back. The intruders were around the same height, just a bit taller than Yunho. Their muscles were visible under the layers of black clothing. Three pairs of sunglasses covering their eyes concealed their identity. All of them were wearing earpieces.

But that wasn't what Yunho, Jongho, and Seonghwa were staring at. That wasn't why their hearts were beating furiously against their chests.

A fourth person who came in with the men was the reason why they were close to freaking out. Held by the arms and wearing a similar outfit with the three huge men was none other than San. His head was covered in sweat and his eyes were shaking with fear, and he was wincing from the iron grip on both of his arms.

The bald man who wasn't holding San stepped forward. "Where's your leader?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So San didn't even get to work...
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter! Things are starting to get interesting. This is just the beginning of a series of crazy things that will happen to the group.
> 
> Btw, I hope you had an amazing Easter (despite the stay-at-home regulations)!


	6. Complication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jongho, Seonghwa, and Yunho tries to save San and themselves from the three men who invaded their house.

Jongho stared intently at the man closest to him, occasionally stealing glances at the window to his side. He could easily manipulate the air in the spacious room to create a draft that would throw the hairless man out the window. Then Yunho would assist and get rid of the other two. 

Yunho spoke up just as Jongho was about to carry out his plan. "Who's asking?" The tightness in his voice reflected his forced confidence. 

"We ask the questions here," the man asserted. He nodded towards San behind him as a reminder that they were the ones in control. 

Seonghwa furrowed his brows and felt his hands clench into fists by his sides. He was scared - terrified - of the strangers in front of him, and with good reason too. But it was frustration that flooded his brain. He was the oldest, yet he had nothing in his mind but anger. He had no idea who the intruders were, how they found them, why they were holding San as a hostage, and what they wanted from breaking in. Most importantly, Seonghwa had no plans whatsoever to bring his teammates out of danger.

He just finished his thought when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and saw Jongho raising his left arm inconspicuously. Jongho's intentions were clear to Seonghwa, and he immediately tried to stop the maknae from completing the foolish act. He was fully confident in Jongho and Yunho's superpowers, but no one knew who those men were. Seeing how they barged with such confidence and purpose, they might be hiding deadly weapons specifically designed for special people - like Seonghwa himself - inside their suits. Hell, he couldn't even say for sure if these men _were_ mortals. 

There was one bigger, more concerning problem though. San was basically stuck to two of the three men. Going offensive might work if San had amazing powers hidden somewhere inside his body. But he didn't. He was just a human. Which meant he would be affected by superpowers just like any of the three strong men surrounding him. 

More simply put, he was most likely going to be seriously injured...or worse.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the man who seemed to be the commander said. He had spotted Jongho's movements before Seonghwa could warn him to stop. 

His voice was indifferent and not very threatening, but Jongho froze at the spot, staring wide-eyed at the nozzle pointed straight at him. The man had pulled out a weapon out of nowhere. It looked like a pistol, but it was smaller, more delicate, and had a translucent blue body. Yet somehow it still looked deadlier than normal firearms.

The bald man smirked. "That's what I thought." He flicked his wrist, causing Jongho to flinch on reflex. "This is loaded with darts, dipped in a serum that is specialized to stop _special_ humans like you from using your dangerous _weapons_." 

A rush of panic paralyzed Jongho, Yunho, and Seonghwa. They knew that they had to do _something,_ but they couldn't calm their minds enough to construct a plan that wouldn't involve hurting San.

They were so used to having a meticulously laid out plan to follow and a trustworthy leader to go to, that they couldn't adapt quickly during emergencies like this. 

All three of them occasionally stole glances at their trapped teammate only a few meters away. San's eyes were opaque and bleary, stripped of all emotions. He seemed to be looking _through_ his friends - the only people who could save him - instead of _at_ them. 

The bald man was getting impatient. He switched the gun from one hand to the other. "Look, we're just doing our jobs, alright? We received orders. You can either tell me where your leader is and make this easier for both of us, or I can use your friend here to-"

The man was interrupted by the thumps and grunting noises behind him. Yunho, Seonghwa, and Jongho saw everything, but the man wasn't so lucky. He turned around, muttering "Can't you see I'm trying to talk here?", but stopped midway when he saw his two companions lying unconscious on the floor. 

The intruders never bothered to close the door after breaking in, so Hongjoong and Mingi saw what happened as they were returning to their base, and managed to get a sneak attack from behind. They quietly strangled the two men holding San, alerting the bald man who was talking to the three members.

Before the last man could make sense of the mess in front of him and raise his weapon, Yunho sent a chair flying straight towards the back of his head and knocked him out. 

Hongjoong closed the front door, though it was unlikely anyone would walk past and look inside. Mingi brought the shell-shocked San into his room. Yunho was breathing heavily, but other than that everyone was silent, their overwhelmed minds trying to digest the events during the past few minutes.

"We have to get rid of them," Hongjoong decided. His voice was grim, his face rigid as if his muscles were trying to contain the torrent of emotions whirling uncontrollably inside him.

There were many unanswered questions, but it wasn't the time to discuss them. Their leader was right - the men might wake up at any moment. Following Hongjoong's instructions, Seonghwa called Wooyoung and explained everything. 

Wooyung teleported back to the base and brought the unconscious men to the most secluded place he could think of, making sure to tie them up before coming back. He did all this without a word.

Eventually, Yeosang returned from tutoring his niece. He knew something was very wrong, but he was smart enough not to ask.

San never came out of his room, probably because he had to be as far away from the living room as possible. 

Seonghwa prepared lunch to take his mind off things, but that did nothing to mollify himself or the members. The air around the dining table was oppressive. They dipped their heads, eyes never leaving their plates of food, their hands delivering food into their mouths with much difficulty. 

No one said anything. The unspoken words hung in the air, a constant reminder of the grave situation they were in.

Seonghwa stood up and started clearing the table once the plates were emptied. Jongho slammed his chopsticks onto the table, startling everyone. Seonghwa froze, hand still hovering in midair. "We can't just pretend that nothing had happened," the maknae said, his voice straining from the building anger inside. 

Yunho looked at his brother. "Jongho."

Hongjoong raised his hand to stop Yunho. "We're not pretending everything's fine." Jongho opened his mouth again, but Hongjoong didn't let him speak. "I just don't think you're ready for the truth yet."

"What?" Everyone else was as equally stunned as Jongho. 

The leader scanned the members, reading their expressions, gauging whether they were ready for what he had found out from reading the intruders' minds.

"I know who they were," Hongjoong said, "and I know what they want."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the beginning of something big! How will the group change from this point on? I hope this story has been a good read so far :) The beginning is a bit slow (and I realize that now as I pre-write chapters and notice how long it took me to get to the climax) but I tried my best not to make it boring.
> 
> Also, how's social distancing going for everyone? Hard? Easy? Finding a new hobby really helps if you feel bored!


	7. Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group discusses what to do about the intrusion.

Hongjoong felt the weight of 6 pairs of eyes on him. Seonghwa placed down the plate. The dirty dishes were forgotten. The usual humming of the air conditioning system was gone, as if the dining room was also holding its breath as it waited for the leader to deliver the bad news.

"You read their minds?" Yeosang asked. But everyone knew very well that he already knew the answer to that.

The leader nodded.

Wooyoung opened his mouth, but Hongjoong didn't let him talk. "Let's clean up first."

All 8 members helped clear the dining table. Seonghwa and Mingi washed the dishes while Jongho and Yeosang prepared coffee and tea.

Jongho, Wooyoung, and Hongjoong waited at the table, releasing their nervous energy by shuffling in their seats, fiddling with their fingers, and constantly biting or wetting their lips. Wooyoung even stole occasional furtive glances towards the door, as if more people in business suits were going to charge in at any moment and try again.

Once all 8 mugs were set on the table and the members were somewhat mentally prepared for the bad news, Hongjoong began relaying everything he "saw" in the intruders' minds. He didn't try to sugarcoat the information. There was no better way to put it. The only way to say it correctly without missing important details was to be completely honest. 

"Those people work for the government." Hongjoong tried to keep his anxiety at bay. He was already spotting the uneasiness on his teammates' faces, and the last thing they need was a scared leader.

"They found out about us, and they aren't happy about what we're doing." Hongjoong paused, giving the others a moment to digest the information before moving on. The worst part was coming. He exhaled.

"The three men who came today wanted us to see their boss. They weren't really thinking about it at that time, so their full intentions were vague. But from what I read in their minds, I'm guessing they wanted us to talk to the government so they could stop us from doing...this."

The leader paused again, which gave Wooyoung a chance to speak. "I have a lot of questions, but first, let me call San. He needs to know this." He stood up, pushing the chair backward. The chair dragged along the hardwood floor, making an abrupt screeching sound that made everyone wince.

"Wait," Hongjoong said. He looked up to make sure he got Wooyoung's full attention. "Let him rest. He doesn't need to hear this. We're the ones who are going out there, stopping the criminals. The government officials won't need San. They'll only..." The leader caught himself before he could say the words out loud. _They'll only use him to threaten us like they did this morning._

"What I mean is," Hongjoong continued, "If they have weapons designed for us, they definitely have weapons for mortals too. I just don't want San to get hurt. He shouldn't be part of this."

Wooyoung didn't want to listen. "He shouldn't be part of this?" He repeated, incredulous and losing patience rapidly. "How can you say that? He's part of our team. We don't leave our teammate out. That's just not right!"

Wooyoung scanned his members, as if he was looking for someone else who agreed with him. But everyone avoided eye contact. Under this stressful situation, they became sensitive and conscious of what they wanted to say. No one was sure if their opinion would be accepted unanimously.

Hongjoong's eyes never left Wooyoung. "I never said that San isn't part of our team," he said firmly.

"But that's what you implied." Wooyoung hissed, his words filled with hurt and anger.

Hongjoong's right eye twitched, taken aback by Wooyoung's outburst. After a moment of consideration, he sighed. "Maybe this isn't the right time to talk about this. We should do this next time."

Wooyoung huffed and looked skywards. He took a deep breath before turning back to Hongjoong. "Now you're just avoiding me. Don't you understand the situation we're in? We don't have time to wait until tomorrow."

"Of course I know. I was the one who read their minds." Hongjoong raised his voice, but his words didn't show anger.

"Stop." Sensing that this argument was not going to lead them to a conclusion, Seonghwa stood up. "At this rate, you're going to wake San." He chose the next few words carefully, not wanting to look like he was helping either one of the members. "We can all decide whether to tell San later. Right now, the most important thing is to make a plan. That's what we sat down here for, right?"

Wooyoung's expression softened, understanding the reasoning behind the older's words. "Fine."

Seonghwa sat down, prompting the younger to follow. Everyone visibly relaxed when Wooyoung was seated again.

"Should we just hide, then?" Jongho broached, sounding uncertain of himself. After experiencing the terror of having a gun pointed at him, his human instinct told him he should avoid that from happening at all costs.

A few members wanted to nod, but they weren't sure whether they should agree.

"That would be the obvious choice, right?" Mingi said. "Those people are scary."

Mingi's words encouraged a few, more certain nods. That, at least, was something everyone could agree to.

"We can hide, but that means we have have to stop what we're doing, because it's too risky to keep trying. This is exactly what the government wants. Do you want to give them that?" Even though he had the authority to make a decision for the group, he wanted to listen to his group mates' opinions.

"No." Yunho was the only person who answered verbally. "But what else can we do? Fight?" He felt his voice waver at the last word. He had to clasp his hands together to stop them from trembling.

Hongjoong's response came instinctively. "Of course not." He sounded certain of himself, but he knitted his brows in worry. He wouldn't doubt their team's power, yet he couldn't imagine sending his teammates into combat. And that would mean he ran out of choices. At least for now.

Yeosang, who kept quiet throughout the whole discussion, finally broke away from his thoughts. "Don't you think we're jumping to conclusions?" He paused, making sure everyone was paying attention. "We don't know exactly what those people want yet. Communication is very important in relationships. If either of us ignore each other, there will be huge misunderstandings."

Everyone nodded as if they understood, but Hongjoong knew to ask the important question. "Do you mean we should go look for them and figure out what they want?"

"But how? We don't know where to find them," Wooyoung asked.

Yeosang sipped on his tea, waiting patiently for his group mates' attention. "Don't worry. They'll come to us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There seems to be difference in opinions already... The conflict will grow in the coming chapters! Thank you for reading up to this point!
> 
> How's everyone doing? I got one of my wisdom teeth removed yesterday and my left cheek is swollen now. Hope everyone else is doing fine!


	8. Outing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> San, Seonghwa, and Mingi goes out to clear their minds, but things didn't turn out the way they wanted it to.

"You're not going anywhere," Wooyoung said. He crossed his arms and faced an exasperated San.

"I'm going to bore to death here!" San complained. He let himself fall backwards onto his bed. The bed he shared with Yunho, which was also the bed Yunho spent a decent amount of time tidying this morning. Now there were fresh crease marks surrounding the dip San's weight had made.

Wooyoung rolled his eyes. "No you aren't. It's only going to be one, two days at most. Then your long awaited drama is going to knock on your door and you can happily welcome it inside." His voice was dripping with sarcasm, which did a very effective job at annoying San even further.

San groaned and began talking to the ceiling. "I _know_ you're worried. Believe me when I say I don't want to be kidnapped twice in the span of two days. But I'll only worry if I stay here, and that's going to drive me crazy. So _please._ " San sat up as he said the last two words, trying to look and sound more sincere than he was feeling.

Feeling slightly bad for not being more understanding before, and knowing his friend would find a way to sneak out once he's off to work, Wooyoung sighed and offered a compromise. "Fine. But you have to bring someone else with you."

San's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yes." Wooyung couldn't help smiling at the excitement on San's face. "Now I have to get ready for work. It wasn't easy getting this one-time job. Stay safe out there."

San waved goodbye and Wooyoung exited the bedroom.

After a few minutes of walking around the house, San found two companions who were willing to go out with him.

"Sure, I have to buy some groceries anyway," Seonghwa replied. He was already dressed up and ready to go.

"I don't mind, as long as we're eating something good for lunch," Mingi said, but he was still lying in bed. San had to physically pull him off the bed for him to get ready.

Finally, at 11:00am, San, Seonghwa, and Mingi left the base and drove to the city centre.

They ate pizza for lunch and shopped around the streets as San requested until Mingi started complaining about his sore feet. 

"Can we sit down and get some ice cream?" Mingi whined as they walk past a dessert shop.

"Don't remember I still have to go to the market if you want dinner tonight," Seonghwa reminded them, sounding only slightly worn out from the long walk.

San stopped and consulted his phone. It was already 3:00pm. "Alright, we can get dessert and then go get groceries."

-

Back in the _Alternare's_ base, Yunho and Hongjoong were eating snacks and watching TV together when they heard the doorbell ring.

They stopped chewing whatever was in their mouths immediately and looked at each other with the same level of vigilance in their eyes.

Only so many people knew where their secret base was located. Narrow it down to those who didn't know the password for the door? There was only one possibility.

Yunho swallowed a mouthful of popcorn and stood up, looking at the older for consent.

"Wait," Hongjoong whispered. He stood up too, setting the snack bowl aside. "Be careful. I still don't trust them." His eyes were alert and dubious as they darted towards the door.

Another set of curt knocks resonated through the living room.

Yunho navigated around the couch and walked to the door. He had to wipe his sweaty palms on his shirt before he could get a good grip on the doorknob.

The door opened and Yunho felt most of the tension leave his body when he saw the two seemingly harmless people in front of him.

A woman and a man stood at the doorway. They were wearing immaculate black suits just like the intruders from yesterday, but they weren't wearing goggles, and instead of weapons they held an office bag in their hands. The woman, who looked no more than 25 years old, had an intimidating aura around her. She had long red hair which was tied up in a high ponytail. Her eyes were big and round, and the brown pupils seemed to have a natural iridescence to them. The high heels made her only a little bit shorter than Yunho, which meant she would probably be taller than Hongjoong.

The woman spoke. "Good afternoon." Her voice was crisp and high-pitched. "I work for the government, and this is my partner." She gestured to the man brusquely. 

The slightly younger man had dark hair that complemented his eyes. His bangs were gelled up and styled perfectly so that every single strand of hair was combed in the same direction.

He simply nodded, letting the woman continue. "We deeply apologize for what happened yesterday. It was our mistake for startling you when we just want to talk."

Yunho took the pause as a cue to start talking. But he had no idea what to say. He wasn't used to be the one in charge. Fortunately, Hongjoong materialized next to him and took over.

"Yes, we should talk. We have many things to ask you."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Are you the leader?"

Instead of replying, Hongjoong stepped aside. "You should come in." He sounded as if he had to force the words out of his mouth. 

-

"Can someone help me out here?" Mingi trudged behind Seonghwa and San, holding two bags of groceries on each hand.

The trio was ready to head home and was walking back to their car.

"You're strong enough." San rolled his eyes even though Mingi wouldn't be able to see. "You probably aren't even sweating."

Mingi huffed. It was true. He was the strongest member in the team, and the bags weighed next to nothing to him. "How far are we-"

He almost lost balance as he halted inches behind Seonghwa and San, who stopped walking without warning.

"What-?" Mingi's irritation quickly turned into confusion and worry as he examined the scene before him.

Seonghwa was staring at a spot to the left of him, his eyes widening as his head slowly followed the line of trees along the sidewalk.

"What's wrong? Are you ok? Are you seeing something?" San sounded more and more urgent with every question that came out of his mouth.

Seonghwa was having a vision, and by the looks of it, it wasn't going to be a good one.

After a few seconds, Seonghwa snapped out of his head and returned to reality. He swiveled around so fast he saw stars.

"We have to go _now._ No time to explain." Without waiting for the others to react, he sprinted off towards his car.

Driven by a deep sense of unease, Mingi and San followed suit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa saw something else! Will he tell the others this time? Yunho and Hongjoong are going to face another two officials from the government! How will it go this time?
> 
> I know I'm repeating myself but thank you for reading my story XD It means a lot to me and I will finish this fanfic the best I can! Also, thank you for 400 reads! <3


	9. Options

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong and Yunho learn about the two options they have.

The government officials rejected Hongjoong's offer of tea or coffee and sat down by the dining table without a word.

"How should we call you?" Yunho asked, picking a seat on the opposite side of the table. Hongjoong sat down next to him.

"That's not important," the woman said. She intertwined her fingers and placed her hands on the table. "We'll get straight to the point and tell you why we're here."

She nodded to her partner and the man spoke for the first time since he arrived. "We're here to talk about you and your team." His voice was surprisingly deep and soothing, but Hongjoong remained on high alert in case he fell into a false sense of security.

"What's wrong with our team?" Hongjoong directed his question to the woman. She seemed to be at a higher authority to know more intel, whereas the man was just here to deliver a message.

The woman shifted her gaze from Hongjoong to Yunho as the man answered the question. "We're not concerned about your team. We're noticing what you do, and it's becoming a problem."

"You mean you don't like us doing the police's job for them?"

The officials ignored the insult. They placed some important-looking documents onto the table and turned the pieces of paper around for Hongjoong and Yunho to see.

Yunho was relieved to have something else to focus on other than the woman who was starting to burn holes into his face. He eyes fell onto the words and numbers on the paper, but he wasn't really making sense of the information. 

"This is a record of repair costs invested to fix the damage you've done while you were on your missions." 

Hongjoong did a cursory glance at the enormous figures. He was trying to keep his calm and confident composure, but his eyebrows twitched uncomfortably. "I don't understand." 

The man was about to answer, but closed his mouth when the woman sighed. He leaned forward and stared at Hongjoong. The leader felt his heart jump a little, but he kept a poker face on the outside. 

"Simply put, this is unacceptable. Whether intentionally or not, you break water pipes, destroy windows, start fires, bring down trees, and disturb the innocents. The government won't let this go on without doing anything. The weak-hearted don't like seeing things they can't explain." The woman's voice was suddenly much deeper. She enunciated each word in a condescending tone, sounding as if she had a mouthful of venom she was trying not to spit out. "We're here to bring you back so we can discuss a plan."

The woman returned to her original posture. Yunho finally found the courage to look up from the pages. He felt a strong sense of dread emanating from the leader next to him.

"What plan?" Hongjoong's felt his voice waver. He hoped no one else heard the weakness. 

"You have two options," the man said. "One, you disband your team and stop everything you're doing." 

"Impossible." Hongjoong stated, anger taking over all emotions for a split second.

The man continued speaking as if he hadn't heard Hongjoong. "Two, you join us and you will be trained to defend the city _properly_ , without all the destruction." 

It took Hongjoong all his self-control not to shout the first thing that came to his mind, which happened to be a swear word. "You want to _train_ us." 

Hongjoong waited, but the officials stared blankly back at him. "I don't think you understand why we made this group in the first place."

Yunho's body tensed up after hearing the hidden wrath in his leader's voice. He knew Hongjoong would protect the team at all costs, but Yunho was different. He wanted time to digest the information before coming to a conclusion. The situation seemed bad on the surface, but if he had time to think through it, things might turn out differently. Unfortunately, the overprotective leader seemed to have already made up his mind.

"Since we started helping, the number of criminals who ran away decreased by a huge amount. You _know_ that. We helped the police catch them at the scene of the crime so people don't have to waste time collecting clues and chasing down the missing thief or murderer while giving them time to commit another crime."

Hongjoong stopped to catch his breath. No one said anything in the moment of silence.

"Now you want us to work _with_ you?" Hongjoong continued, "Don't think that I don't know how things work in the government. If we accept this offer, you will control us like a bunch of soldiers. Who knows if you'll even _let_ us out there, since you're so afraid of what our powers can do." 

Hongjoong's voice turned into a deadly whisper on the last sentence. His hands were on the table, now clenched into tight balls of fists. Yunho shifted his eyes between Hongjoong and the officials, wanting desperately to calm the heat of the conversation. But all he could think of was how nervous he was getting, and how much sweat was on his sticky palms.

"You're barged in, holding our only defenseless teammate hostage." The pain and anger was now evident in the leader's voice. "You've already betrayed our trust. We're not going with you." 

"Mr. Kim-"

Hongjoong interrupted the woman by standing up abruptly. "You should leave. We're done talking." His tone left no room for argument.

The woman lifted her head to look at the standing man. She stared at him like this for a while before sighing through her nose. Then she and her partner tidied up their belongings wordlessly.

Yunho walked their guests to the door, leaving the incredulous leader behind.

"There will be consequences if the damage keeps going," the woman said, once they were at the doorway. "But we will give you time to think about it." She held out her business card.

Yunho hesitated, but took it eventually with one trembling hand. He wanted to keep his options open. "You should go now." 

Yunho watched the pair disappear into a lift before closing the door. He let the tension out of his body with a sigh, but started when the door opened again, marginally missing his face as it slammed towards the wall. 

Too shocked to say anything, Yunho swiftly hid the business card in his pocket and stepped back, letting Seonghwa, Mingi, and San inside. 

"Is something wrong...?" Yunho saw Seonghwa's trembling pupils. He couldn't stand still. 

"I have to..." Seonghwa trailed off when his eyes landed on the open kitchen, where Hongjoong was sitting with his hands in his face. 

Seonghwa's sense of unease was contagious. Mingi and San mirrored the grim look on his face.

"I'll..." Yunho began, but realized soon that he had no idea what to say. Sometimes he hated himself for not being as quick-witted as his leader. This was one of the moments. There were so many things going on in his head, so many things to worry about, and he didn't know where to start.

"Yunho." Seonghwa placed a hand on Yunho's shoulder. Yunho felt his mind clear a bit as he locked eyes with Seonghwa. "Tell me what's going on." 

From how Seonghwa said it, Yunho knew that his hyung could already deduce what had happen when he was gone. He was only asking so Yunho could focus on one thing at a time. "Two people from the government visited, and they gave us two options." 

"Ok, we can talk about that later when everyone is back." Seonghwa gave Yunho a weak smile. "Is Hongjoong okay?"

"He got heated up during the discussion. It...he's very worried." Yunho saddened as he imagined the weight on the leader's shoulder.

Seonghwa needed to talk to Hongjoong about what he saw outside, but he couldn't bring himself to increase the burden any further.

"Do you want to help prepare dinner?" 

Mingi and San nodded. 

Yunho walked to the dining table and whispered something to Hongjoong. They disappeared into the hallway, and when Yunho returned, he was alone.

Mingi finally placed down the groceries on the dining table, and the three members began cooking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the 500 hits (it's not a big number but it's a nice number XD)! I'm glad you're enjoying the story :) You can look forward to some excitement next chapter!


	10. Spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group sits down to discuss their next move, but things don't go too well...

The 8 members sat around the dining table. The scene was strikingly similar to the last time they had a problem to discuss about. 

For a second nobody knew where to start. They simply occupied themselves with the food in front of them, whether they were hungry or not. It was almost like a twisted version of a game to see who would be the first crack under the tension and give in.

Eventually, Yunho couldn't bear the weight on his shoulders anymore. He needed someone to share his burden with, even if it meant distributing it to the ones he loved. He told himself that the people around him would be happy to help solve the problem, but that thought didn't make it any easier to say it aloud.

"Two people visited this afternoon. They work for the government," Yunho began, though he knew everyone who weren't at the scene could probably already guess what happened. He quickly went through what the officials told him and Hongjoong, trying hard not to leave out any details. His mind wouldn't stop drifting back to the intense glare the woman gave him, and it was giving him a hard time keeping track of what he was saying.

Finally, he emphasized the point of discussion, "We have to decide whether to 'join' the government or completely stop what we're doing. I suppose we can run too, but I don't think that option would work for long."

A mixture of shock, anger, frustration, and despair covered the members' faces. The unfinished plates of food on the table were long forgotten. No one had an appetite anymore. They were too busy digesting the new information to feel hungry.

Mingi was the first to find his voice. "Do we even have to think about it? It's clear that the only way to do this is to stick to our beliefs and continue doing what we're best at doing. We have to show them that a bunch of high-status officials can't do anything to stop us."

Mingi stopped and huffed angrily. "They intruded our base. They tried to take San. They can't be good people. We can't trust them. And we won't listen to them." He was holding a fork in his hand as he spoke. His grip tightened subconsciously with every sentence that came out of his mouth, and he would've bend the metal if it wasn't for Jongho rubbing his arm to relax his muscles.

A few people agreed, but their minuscule nods were barely noticeable. They shared the same distrust towards the government as Mingi did, but their eyes reflected the sense of fear rooted in their hearts. No one knew what consequences were waiting for them if they were bold enough to ignore the officials completely.

"I certainly agree with what Mingi said," Hongjoong commented. His voice was raspy and strained. "There is no way we can trust them. What if they're not from the government at all? What if they're part of a secret organization that hates paranormal activities and wish to get rid of us?" 

The 7 members sat in stunned silence. They had never seen their leader being so paranoid he was close to going hysteric. Hongjoong tend to overthink because he loved his members so much he wouldn't risk making a mistake that could definitely hurt them. His first priority is always the benefit of the team. His strong sense of righteousness would never let anyone break the purpose and the beliefs of the team, either.

And despite all those things, he knew he had to respect everyone's opinions. 

"I understand that you're angry," Yeosang said. His thoughtful tone showed that he had carefully chose the words he was going to say. "and I understand that you want to protect the team and show that we're not weak people who just listens to the higher class. But there's a risk to consider, too. We don't know what will happen if we rebel and move on as if nothing ever happened. They might find our base again."

Yeosang didn't elaborate, but the implications were clear. _They might find our base again, and this time, it wouldn't be as easy to get rid of them._

"What if we just be more careful?" Jongho said. His solution was simple-minded and direct. It wasn't a bad thing, but his optimism could sometimes blind him from the bigger picture. "They don't like us because we keep destroying government property, right? Then if we stop doing that, they'll let us go." 

With one hand, Wooyoung rubbed his face. "We would've done that if it was as easy as you made it sound like. I mean, this doesn't really apply to me, but even I know we have to manipulate our environment in order for us to stop the criminals. The other option would be to physically injure them until they cannot move, which no one wants to do. Besides, you should know that it's not easy to control your powers."

Wooyoung fixed his gaze on Jongho. "Didn't you almost suffocate half of us because you _accidentally_ sucked away all the air molecules in the living room?"

Jongho felt a small flame light up in his chest. He didn't like it that Wooyoung brought up his incident when there wasn't a good reason to. Before he could do anything stupid, however, Yunho voiced his opinion.

"That's why we need to train. Like the officials said."

Hongjoong barely let him finish his sentence. "And why would _they_ know how to train us? They are just human beings. They can't empathize with us. They don't have experience."

Yunho dipped his head in defeat. He really wanted to know what it would feel like to know his powers well enough to be fully confident in his execution. Even now he would hesitate and draw back whenever he used his powers, afraid that he would go overboard. His instinct was to try all the possibilities before giving up, but he couldn't come up with an argument strong enough to rebut Hongjoong's statement. 

Seonghwa frowned. "And they never told us how to look for them, if we did decide to join them. That doesn't sound right to me."

Reminded of the business card the red-headed woman gave him, Yunho looked up from his lap. Something told him the card should be kept a secret, but he didn't want to let his opportunity slip. "Maybe they'll look for us again."

"What do you mean?" Hongjoong met Yunho's eyes.

"They told me, before leaving, that they'll give us some time to think." 

"That's too good to be true." Mingi pointed out.

"When they come back, they'll be here to arrest us as criminals." Hongjoong's sudden change in tone scared Yunho and unsettled the others. "They never gave us proof that they are people with authority. It's too dangerous. We're not risking it."

"But..." Everyone immediately turned towards San, surprised he had something to say after staying silent for the whole discussion. "We're also taking a risk by running away. Maybe it's because I'm a regular human, but even though I got kidnapped, I think I understand why they did it. They must be scared too, right? They thought they had to be a bit aggressive to scare us into compliance, you know?"

San looked at Wooyoung for reassurance, but Wooyoung, like everyone else, was turned towards the leader, wondering what he would say. 

"I don't know if there's a better way to say this," Hongjoong said with a sigh. "But San, I understand why you think that. It's hard for a normal person to empathize with people like us. You might not fully grasp the situation and the stress that comes with it, but I hope you can think about the safety of the whole team." 

Wooyoung gritted his teeth. "Please stop saying things like San isn't part of us." The anger contained inside from the last time something similar happened was threatening to burst out. His vestiges of respect towards the leader was the only leash preventing him from lashing out.

The level of tension shot up a million fold. The focus of the discussion was shifting to a much more sensitive topic. The members made furtive glances at each other, wondering whether they should say something. 

Sensing the fight that was bound to arise, Seonghwa said, "It's getting late. Let's clean up the table. We can talk about this tomorrow. We're all tired."

Hongjoong was the first to stand up. His face was stony as he announced in greater difficulty, "There's no need to continue this discussion. We won't be approaching the officials. It's simply too dangerous." He spoke tersely and failed to make eye contact with anyone, as if it would physically pain him to see the disappointment and shock on the members' faces. 

As the members wordlessly stacked up the plates and brought them to the sink, Seonghwa walked up to Hongjoong. "I have something important to tell you," he whispered. "Can we meet out here later?"

Hongjoong nodded, despite wanting nothing more than lying on his soft mattress. He knew Seonghwa would not ask him to stay if it wasn't really important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the title suggests, there is a spark in the team! It's only a matter of time before it grows into a flame. (Btw, if you pay attention you can tell how the team will separate) Thank you for reading as always!


	11. Midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa and Hongjoong have a quiet conversation in the middle of the night.

The living room was concealed in a cloak of darkness. The only light was the soft silvery glow of the moon shining through the balcony window. There were no owls hooting tonight, no rustling leaves from the night breeze. Just quiet - the sound of midnight. 

Bedroom doors were closed and locked. The hallway connecting the rooms was now a dark, endless tunnel. 

The two oldest member of the group sat on the opposite ends of the small couch. Hongjoong sat hunched with elbows on his lap, his hands crossed together to support his chin. He stared at the patterns on the top right corner of the carpet, trying to follow the simple lines but ending up losing the path after 2 turns. 

Seonghwa sat upright with his head turned to look at the other. His eyelids drooped, but he knew he wouldn't be able to rest, not until he said what he needed to say. Things had taken a wrong turn, and _someone_ had to try put the team back on the right track. 

"I understand how you must have felt during dinner."

Hongjoong exhaled sharply. He leaned back and massaged the bridge of his nose. "I know you didn't call me out here in the middle of the night to talk about this."

"No, I didn't plan to, but I feel like I have to say something. You don't have to agree, just listen to me." Seonghwa paused in case the leader disagreed. But Hongjoong nodded. "It's natural to have two different opinions. 8 people is a large group. And they are all adults. They make their own decisions, and they don't have to listen to anyone."

Hongjoong knew where this was going. "They've listened to me for a long time." 

"Yes, but we both know it's much more different this time. It's not a matter of who goes on a mission, nor is it a matter of what they should do with their powers. It's a matter of their future. No one knows what the right choice is, but everyone has their own moral code to follow. You can't assume they'll change their minds just by telling them what to think."

Seonghwa tried to gauge Hongjoong's reaction, but it was too dark to make out his expression. Instead, he had to deal with an uncomfortable silence. 

Hongjoong stood up and trudged to the balcony door. He stared at the moon outside, his body blocking half of the light and putting the living room into dense darkness. 

"What am I supposed to do then?" He whispered to no one in particular. Seonghwa perked up, almost missing the quiet words that seemed to absorb into the glass door. "What else am I supposed to do as a leader? I know what you're thinking. I know what everyone else is thinking. I don't want a..." 

The leader trailed off. For once, he couldn't think of a better word to express himself. But the unspoken word hung in the air. _Mutiny_.

"But like you said," he continued wearily. His voice was frail, as if he aged in the span of a few seconds. "We can't really control what they think." He sighed when he felt Seonghwa's hand on his shoulder. 

"Don't worry, you'll figure it out eventually," Seonghwa said. He looked out the window too and realized why Hongjoong had stood there for so long. The moon was mesmerizing. It was a reminder that some things stay unchanged even though they were in turmoil. "You always do. No matter how long it takes."

The words may be hopelessly optimistic, but they offered Hongjoong the consolation he needed for a long time. 

"So what did you really want to talk to me about?" 

The pleasant exchange shifted to another serious topic. Seonghwa pulled his eyes away from the moon and recalled his vision he had this afternoon. His mind whirred. That felt like ages ago. 

Seonghwa explained what he saw in halting speech. It was hard enough to replay the events in his mind, let alone putting it into words for others to imagine the picture themselves. "I've never seen so much destruction in one place before. There was fire everywhere. People screaming, running, rolling on the ground, doing anything to extinguish themselves. Trees fell. Roads were blocked. It's...it's crazy."

Hongjoong could tell from the worry in Seonghwa's eyes that there were more bad news to come. He couldn't bring himself to ask the question - he wasn't sure if he was prepared for the answer.

"This is where the problem comes," Seonghwa said. "I don't know who we're trying to chase down, but I know they were carrying matches or oil or...or some type flammable substance, and..." Seonghwa grimaced and stopped. 

"What?" Hongjoong grabbed Seonghwa's upper arm. It was all he could not to start shaking it. "And what?" He needed to know the answer now. He needed to know because the anticipation was killing him. 

Seonghwa breathed in and let it all out. "And I think Yunho must've started the fire accidentally. I saw something fly through the air, land on a tree, and the next thing I know the whole street is ablaze." 

Hongjoong's outstretched arm fell and hung limply on his side. The information sank in, along with all the implications that came with it. Overwhelmed, he returned to the couch and sat down.

"You're absolutely sure?" Hongjoong didn't ask because he doubted Seonghwa. He asked because he needed to make sure he wasn't just hearing things. He didn't think it was possible to have so many things going wrong all at once.

"Yes," Seonghwa replied. He could picture every second of that scene in full detail. There was no room for second thoughts.

"When will this happen?" 

"This Saturday, three in the afternoon." The answer came instinctively. The vision rarely included clues of the date and time of the event, but the knowledge was always there if Seonghwa needed it - something he himself couldn't fully grasp the idea of.

This was one of the many moments when Hongjoong wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and hide from reality. He had to make a decision, and it wasn't going to be an easy one considering what they were going through with the government.

"We can't bring Yunho," said Hongjoong. "All the destruction...who knows what the authorities do when they find out it was us again? But that's not what I'm most worried about. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

Seonghwa nodded. Yunho had always wanted to have better control over his power. Bringing him to this mission will only further establish his thinking. In other words, he would have more the reason to go "train" as the government officials suggested.

Neither of the two said anything, but it went without speaking that more conflict was the last thing they wanted.

"We have to prepare for the worst case scenario." Hongjoong stood up again. He needed to form a plan as soon as possible. His mind could never be at rest if he let his thoughts go unorganized. "We need to know how much time we have before the officials find us again and demand for an answer."

"Yunho might know."

"Yes. We'll move to another secure location soon."

"What if some members want to leave?" It was painful to think of that possibility, but Seonghwa couldn't leave them out of the conversation.

Hongjoong stopped pacing and looked at Seonghwa. Rather than seeing it, Seonghwa felt the grim determination of the leader's stare. "We'll just have to let them go." 

Seonghwa shuddered at the thought of the group separating. It was unthinkable. He found himself asking a lot of scary questions.

_Would there be a fight? Would they just leave without a word? Would they come back? Would we still talk to each other?_

"But what if it's really dangerous? How could we just let them go?" Seonghwa felt desperation and despair creeping into him.

"All of us have the ability to protect ourselves. No one knows which side is safe. I guess we'll be able to see by trying both ways at once." Just a moment ago Hongjoong was doubting himself as a leader. But he had made up his mind now, because choosing one thought to follow was better than second guessing yourself endlessly. 

"You should go to sleep," Hongjoong suggested. 

Seonghwa wanted to say something, anything, to change the situation around. Maybe there was still a way. But his mind was blank. He was robbed of words. Instead, fatigue conquered his body and he felt like giving up.

Succumbing to the exhaustion, he crossed the living room and entered the hallway. It was so dark he could barely see the outlines of the doors.

It was also too dark, apparently, for his eyes to make out the silhouette standing at the end of the corridor where it just meets the living room.

By the time Seonghwa figured out who it was, it was already too late to hide his shock.

"Yunho!" He exclaimed, trying to suppress the anxiety in his voice. All he could think of was how much Yunho heard. "Why are you up so late?"

It was near impossible to make out the other's facial features, but Seonghwa thought he saw a small twitch somewhere on the face.

"I wanted to drink some water," replied Yunho. His voice was rigid, and Seonghwa suspected it had nothing to do with his dry throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a serious conversation between Hongjoong and Seonghwa! The seriousness of the situation is starting to settle in...
> 
> And Happy Mother's Day!!!


	12. Eavesdrop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunho heard Hongjoong and Seonghwa's conversation and he tries to find out more.

Yunho stepped forward, forcing Seonghwa to retreat into the living room. Now much more visible under the moonlight, Hongjoong saw the stony expression on the younger member and immediately made sense of the situation.

Before Hongjoong could say anything - not that he had any idea what was the right thing to say - Yunho asked, "Can I have a private word with Seonghwa hyung?"

Hongjoong gave Seonghwa a questioning look. Seonghwa nodded. The leader hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should interfere further, but decided that his body needed rest before that and traipsed into his room quietly.

"You were going to tell me, right?" Yunho asked as soon as he heard the door clicking shut.

Seonghwa had to try hard not to flinch at Yunho's accusing tone. His first instinct was to reply with a white lie, but his virtuous heart instantly made me think twice. He parted his lips but stumbled over his words, haven't yet made up his mind on what to say.

Yunho got the incoherent message anyway and his face softened to a point where it looked like it might break at any time.

Suddenly both of the members seemed to have lost their words. A pregnant silence filled the room, almost tangible under the weak beam of moonlight aimed right between them.

"We just didn't want you to get upset, or scared," Seonghwa said. He tried to act like his usual caring self, but he ended up sounding unsure of himself as he tried to gauge whether the other liked what he was saying.

Yunho took a sharp intake of breath. "And you think hiding it from me will _not_ upset me?"

Seonghwa heard the hurt under the deep layer of anger in Yunho's voice and felt his heart ache from immense guilt and regret. He knew he could have done better.

Staring straight into Yunho's eyes, Seonghwa chose his next words carefully. It was a matter of improving the situation or worsening it to a point of no return.

"I don't want you to think that you have to train to be accepted as part of us. You are good enough the way you are."

"So why did you opt me out of the mission?" Yunho raised his voice, unable to contain his emotions. "If I'm good enough, why won't you let me go?"

A soft thump interrupted the conversation. It sounded like it came from one of the bedrooms. Someone might have knocked something off of their bedside table, or they might have rolled off the bed and landed on the floor. The team was full of fitful sleepers, and these noises were no surprise during the night.

But somehow, it sounded much more sinister this time.

"Because the last thing we want is the government getting more angry at us," explained Seonghwa. He was patient, but he lowered his voice even further to prompt Yunho to do the same.

Yunho rubbed his hand over his face exasperatedly. "So you're scared, too. I don't understand. If you don't want the government to come after us, why can't we do what they want us to do?"

"That wouldn't be the right thing to do for the benefit of the team."

Yunho seemed unfazed by the sudden sternness in Seonghwa's voice. Instead, a shadow as dark as his eyes passed over his face.

"I disappointed you, didn't I?" Yunho licked his dry lips."You trusted me to do the right thing for the group, remember?"

Seonghwa's confusion melted away, revealing somber eyes. "I'm not disappointed in you," Seonghwa said. But his composure slipped due to his fatigue.

A bitter smile formed on Yunho's lips. "I'm sorry, anyway."

Seonghwa frowned, but he wasn't sure what was the feeling that bothered him so much. Frustration? Anger? Despair? Sorrow?

"It's not your fault. Everyone has different opinions. I get it. It's hopeless thinking, but I just don't want conflict."

"You should've told us," Yunho said.

"What?" The room seemed colder all of a sudden. Seonghwa shivered.

"That night after the mission. We were outside, talking. I thought you were a bit drunk, but you weren't." Yunho's voice was heavy. "You something was going to happen. That's why you told me to not do anything stupid." He paused, his breaths thunderous in the silence. "But I did. Or I'm going to."

Seonghwa felt his gut twist. He understood now why Yunho wanted to talk to him alone.

"I did see something. Something bad happening to our team. There were fights. Arguments." The words came flowing out of his mouth like a broken tap. Seonghwa couldn't control himself now that someone found out. "But I don't know why. I don't know what triggered it." His lips trembled. "That's why I'm not forcing you to agree with Hongjoong and I. Because I don't know what is the correct choice."

Yunho was too tired to be shocked. He pondered for a moment before forming a reply. "No one knows what the correct choice is." This time, his voice was barely audible even in the silence. "Are you going to tell the others?"

"No," replied Seonghwa. But that was just an instinctive answer. "No. I don't know." A while ago it was Hongjoong who doubted himself. Now Seonghwa could experience the same feeling of hopelessness that clung onto him like an extra weight.

"Just let fate play out by its own this time," Yunho suggested carefully. You're always trying to change the future, and I understand why. But you have to think for yourself, too."

Seonghwa sighed and shook his head. It was too late to be talking about this. "You know what? Maybe you're right." He managed a weak smile. It didn't hurt to believe in something that could comfort him even if it was just for a second. Even if it was near impossible.

Yunho raised his hands and stared into his palms. "I don't think I should let my powers take control of me. But I'll try my best to keep a good relationship with the team. They are my friends, after all. You get what I mean?"

"Yea."

Yunho nodded and walked over to the kitchen to get a cup of water.

Seonghwa stayed looking for a while, but eventually headed into the dark hallway and returned to his bedroom, where he would toss and turn on his bed for a whole night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Part of) Seonghwa's vision is finally revealed! It will be hard to reveal it to everyone any time soon, though.
> 
> Sorry for the slightly shorter chapter xp


	13. Transition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> ! Long chapter ahead !  
> As the title suggests, this is a transition to show that some time has passed between the previous chapter and the next chapter. It talks a bit about the members and it doesn't really affect the story so you don't have to read it if you hate long reads :)

The next few days went by with a blur. The unrest of their lives had finally gotten to them and was slowly gnawing them away. No one could focus on one thing. Instead, they would sit or stand or pace or stare - for hours at a time - thinking about the near future that was rapidly becoming the present.

In the house, the living room was almost always empty. The bedrooms were silent save for the occasional soft music leaking through the door frame gaps, or the shuffling of bed sheets during the night. The hallways never held more than one person at a time. Only Seonghwa used the kitchen for more than a few minutes.

The members avoided contact. They only spoke when they needed to. There was no hatred, just a lingering sense of despair that seemed to tie up their tongues whenever they wanted to say something related to the problem at hand. The problem they would have to face soon.

-

_I did it again. I was queuing up to buy lunch when suddenly I started listing an order in my head. But it wasn't my order. It was someone else's. I would never add pickles in my hamburger. But that wasn't the weirdest part. I listened to the person in front of me when it was his turn, and everything in my head came out of his mouth, in the exact wording and order._

_Was I just daydreaming? Reading off the menu?_

_._

_._

_._

_I guess it isn't so bad after all. I know what everyone wants for the birthday, and I never have to worry about buying gifts. When I'm writing a test, the answers just come to me, even though I know I would've never gotten it. I know who I should talk to and who my real friends are. I know who in my class talks behind my back. I know when my mom wants a massage, when my dad wants a drink._

_I rarely argue with people now._

.

.

.

_I can't take it anymore. My head hurts. All I see and hear are negative thoughts. Dark things. Scary things._

_I always feel dizzy. I shut myself in my room. It's the only way to block those_ **_things_ ** _away. It's the only way to keep sane._

_Why does this have to happen to me? What have I done to deserve this perpetual nightmare?_

_No one understands..._

Hongjoong closed the notebook. He could no longer read on. He stared at the back of the worn out diary. It was a gift from his father when he was a young child, and now the leather covering was frayed, covered with scratch marks. The words inside were probably 10 years old, maybe more. But the memories were as vivid as if he had just made them yesterday.

He stood up and stretched. There was no time to dwell on the past. He had to start planning for the mission this Saturday. Most of all, he had to think of a way to tell Yunho that he wouldn't be a part of it.

-

Outside in the balcony, Seonghwa felt his eyes tear up as he looked at the small photo in his hands. It was a photo of a beautiful woman who shared the same black hair and brown eyes as he did. His mother.

Seonghwa didn't care about the cold evening chill that bit at his skin. He didn't care about the tears that were rolling down his cheeks and staining his t-shirt. Everything felt insignificant compared to the painful memories the photo recalled. 

He remembered waking up in the middle of the night, crying with sweat covering every inch of his body. The nightmare felt so _real._ But he was already 13. He knew nightmares were just that - nightmares. 

How could he have known? How could he have known that the heavy rain, the blinding darkness, the screeching tires, the blaring horn, the booming crash, the pooling blood, the unconscious mom - everything he saw in his dreams - were going to come true?

He should have said something. _Anything._ If he had just said something to his mom that day, perhaps he would be holding his phone by his ear, instead of the wrinkled photo on his lap.

But he understood that the past couldn't be changed. What he _could_ change is the future. He wouldn't let anyone he loved get hurt anymore.

-

Yeosang and Wooyoung were in their room, sitting at opposite corners - one on the bed and the other at the desk - both deep in thought.

Yeosang stared at the certificates framed on the wall just above the trophies on the desk. They filled up most of his side of the room, and that wasn't even everything he had. The rest of them were with his parents in a much bigger house. 

The golden cups glimmered even under the scant lighting of the room. Impressive as they are, Yeosang held no pride in them. What was there to be proud of, when all he had to do in those competitions was to let his super brain take control?

No one knew to be grateful of his outstanding intelligence, not even him. But things are different now. Yeosang knew how to put his talent into good use. He knew what decision he had to make.

Wooyoung landed onto his bed with a soft thud. Yeosang looked behind his shoulder, but turned back to his book when he saw his roommate lying on the bed.

Wooyoung had teleported into the air just now so he could fall onto the soft mattress. That was what happened when he first found out about his ability. It still gave him the chills when he recalled the event, but despite the sudden urge to curl under the thick sheets, he stared at the ceiling, too lazy to move. 

He couldn't quite remember how he ended up there, but he was next to a cliff with his slightly drunk friends, and one more step forward would lead to a sheer drop down a small lake. This would be a perfect spot for daredevils looking for a challenge during summer, but Wooyoung wasn't one of them, and it was some time in the middle of a freezing night.

So when his friends decided to give Wooyoung a little shove, the rising panic sobered him as he fell down the cliff with adrenaline rushing through his veins. He braced himself for the hard hit on the surface of the lake, but it never came. Instead, he found himself back in his bedroom, right where he was now, on the soft and dry mattress. 

It didn't take long for Wooyoung to figure out that he had control over his teleportation skills. They were limits too, but that wasn't going to stop him from doing something useful with it. 

So, as he stared at the blankness of the white ceiling and thought about his purpose in this team of special people, he figured he would do anything to put his powers into good use. 

Right across the hallway, opposite of Yeosang and Wooyoung's room, the brothers were having a conversation behind the closed door.

Jongho shared a room with Mingi, but he was outside taking a walk. Meanwhile, San was probably in his shared room with Yunho, knocked out from a full day of work and fast asleep on the bed. 

So Yunho was here now, sitting on Jongho's bed.

"Are you actually going to leave us?" Jongho asked.

Yunho didn't know how to answer. "I'm sure I'm not the only one. I'll be safe."

Jongho frowned and gritted his teeth. "That's not why I'm asking, and you know that." 

Yunho sighed and looked at his hands. "I really can't do this." He clenched them into fists, remembering what he heard Seonghwa had said about his vision. "I'm going to hurt more people if this goes on."

"No, you _won't._ " Jongho might be strong on the outside, but really, he could never get mad at his brother. "I _know_ you, ok? Better than you know yourself. You need to be confident. Stop reading stuff about telekinetic people going mad because of their powers."

"I-"

"Don't even try to deny that. I saw you multiple times with my own eyes." 

Yunho lowered his head in defeat. 

"Stop doubting yourself. You make mistakes because you're nervous and afraid." Jongho's voice softened. The words coming out of his mouth were the very words he told himself everyday since the first time he used his abilities. "I believe in you. We all do. It's just you left. So don't leave us. You might say that you want to trust the government officials, but I know you still want to work _with_ us, not _for_ them."

Yunho lifted his head and looked into his brother's eyes. For a split second he actually reevaluated his decision, moved by what he heard. But that moment passed by quickly. Because Jongho didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow, on Saturday, if Yunho joined in the mission.

"How can I be confident when I _know_ I'm going to fail? It's never going to work out for me, not unless I get some real help." 

Jongho recoiled, hurt that his own brother didn't consider himself "real" help. "This is exactly what I'm trying to say. No one can know for sure. So stop being so pessimistic and believe in yourself for once!"

Maybe Yunho no longer felt the need to hold on to his leash now that Jongho had released his. Maybe he was just too tired to grab onto it any longer. But the rising frustration and pent up distress inside of him finally culminated into one fiery burst of anger.

"You don't understand! You wouldn't say that if you knew what I knew! I _am_ going to mess up. So just let me go before I further disappoint any of you!" In his moment of despair, Yunho had squeezed his eyes shut and covered his face with his hands in an attempt to block his tears from falling.

He didn't notice the objects that were floating beside him, trembling with stored energy as if they were going to fly across the room any time soon.

Jongho reeled in shock, but he suppressed his rising panic and broke away from his stupor, using the air in the room to hold all the objects in place. Thankfully, Yunho wasn't paying attention to what he was doing, so Jongho could easily overcome his powers. Otherwise, he would've been hit by a dozen objects by now.

Yunho's sobs turned into quieter sniffs as the room returned to normal. Jongho relaxed and opened the door, whispering to the worried members that everything was under control. Then he closed the door again and walked over to his brother to give him a hug.

"You did us proud," Jongho said, patting Yunho's back. 

"What?"

Jongho felt a single tear roll down his cheek, but he kept his voice steady. "We wouldn't be here if you hadn't saved us from the car crash."

Yunho stiffened in his brother's arms. The recollection of that tragic night came to him in flashes. He saw the headlights coming towards them. Then his father steering vigorously to the left. His mother's mouth was wide open, but Yunho couldn't hear the scream. Everything went blurry, and suddenly he was sprawled in the back seat, glass shards all around him and his brother, but his body perfectly unscathed. 

He remembered the street light towering above him, inches away from squashing himself and his brother. It didn't make sense to him, how it was able to hold there in midair, in such a precarious angle. He remembered how Jongho, still a toddler, had slept through all of that action miraculously. 

But no images of his parents came into mind. It was too painful to remember that.

"You might've helped too," Yunho said. His voice was hoarse.

Jongho chuckled bitterly and let go of Yunho. "I was sleeping." Then he went silent and his eyes shone with sincerity. "I can't ask for more, after what you did that night. I'll respect whatever decision you make. But please give it some thought."

Yunho nodded wordlessly.

-

Mingi was the only person who preferred to take a walk when something is troubling him. He walked around the perimeter of the house, and then to the top of the hill where he could see the city below. 

His cardigan did nothing to protect himself from the evening breeze, but the shivers actually kept him awake. 

He surveyed the cluster of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings and wondered if he could see _his_ building. It wasn't a building he owned, but the building whom the person he saved had jumped off of. 

When Mingi was still a university student living in the city, he was the fastest runner in the whole district. He never thought much about it, until one day when he was crossing the street and saw someone falling through the sky. 

That young man was already in midair, but Mingi's eyes were able to track him as he approached the ground rapidly. The whole stretch of road and the crowd of people in between Mingi and the man did nothing to discourage him. His first instinct was to run and save the falling man.

He didn't even question that outrageous thought. He just did it.

The next thing he knew, he was setting the stranger gently onto the ground, with people surrounding him, either taking pictures or rambling in confusion.

After all, Mingi had appeared out of nowhere, and his muscles weren't even sore from catching a full grown man going 100 miles per hour. 

Mingi sat down on a bench facing the city. His fingers were turning to ice, but he was glad to feel something else other than the dread settling in his stomach. He stayed in that spot, thinking and searching for something still unknown to him, until the sun came out and colored the gray sky with a first tint of red. 

He stood up, filled with the determination to save anyone who needed saving.

And that was when he found what he was looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking through the chapter! Which backstory do you like the most?


	14. Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team goes on another mission, without Yunho this time. Will anything change?

"Yunho's not coming?" Jongho asked. The team had just finished briefing for their mission in the afternoon. Hongjoong - with Seonghwa's warning in mind - chose Mingi, Seonghwa, and Jongho to go with him. 

Hongjoong and Seonghwa shared a subtle but meaningful glance. "All we have to do is chase them and contain them," explained the leader. "I don't think Yunho's powers would be necessary."

"He has longer legs. He'll run faster than me." Jongho said, ignoring the hard stare Yunho was giving him.

"You're stronger," Hongjoong replied patiently.

Jongho narrowed his eyes at Yunho, but said nothing when he saw the indifferent look on Yunho's face. 

"You sure about this?" Mingi asked. "Yunho joins in _all_ the missions. He's helpful." 

Seonghwa parted his mouth in a silent sigh. Yunho avoided eye contact. 

"Mingi," Hongjoong said. "He's not going. It's decided." He held Mingi's gaze for a few seconds, making sure he got his message across clearly. 

Seonghwa looked at his watch. "If there's no other questions, get changed and be prepared to leave in 15 minutes." 

The meeting was adjourned and one by one the members stood up and returned to their rooms. Jongho lingered behind, observing Yunho's behaviour. Yunho hadn't said anything during the briefting, and was now staring at his hands with disheartened eyes and slumped shoulders. Jongho knew he would've spoke up if he was angry or sad for being left out, so Yunho was definitely hiding something.

It just wasn't the time to ask. 

15 minutes later, Mingi, Hongjoong, and Jongho were ready to go. They drove for another 15 minutes to reach their destination, and pretended to be the casual person going on a leisurely stroll in the weekend. 

"Wait, how about the masks?" Mingi asked, just realizing that no one mentioned their disguises during the short meeting.

Jongho rolled his eyes. "We can't wear black masks if we want to blend in with the pedestrians."

"Right." Mingi smiled sheepishly.

"And it doesn't matter anymore," Hongjoong added. "The people who are against us already know who we are. There is no point in hiding."

The smile melted off Mingi's face as he was reminded of their targets. Luckily, the mission officially began before his mind could drift off and divert his attention.

Three people wrapped in black clothing zoomed past them, holding bulky duffel bags and what looked like boxes of matches.

Hongjoong immediately broke off into pursuit, the three other members following closely behind. Shocked pedestrians stumbled aside for the runners to pass. Intrigued teenagers fished out their phones to capture the moment.

Seonghwa ignored the mutters, shouts, and chatter of the crowded street, instead focusing intently on what he saw. Something about the criminals was bugging him, but he couldn't pinpoint on the exact reason. 

In no time, Mingi surpassed his teammates and grabbed the shirt of the slowest man - the short and chubby one holding the duffel bag. As soon as the other members caught up, they would tie up the criminals' hands while Mingi would shoot off for the next one. This process repeated three times, until all three offenders were now sitting on the floor, struggling but helpless.

Mingi panted and wiped off his sweat. "That...was easier...than I...thought," he said, catching his breath. 

Seonghwa frowned as an unpleasant sensation settled in the bottom of his stomach. It was _way_ too easy. He scanned the men carefully, wondering what specific crime they have committed, and what about them was bothering him so much. 

Realization hit him like a brick when his eyes finally landed on the box of matches laying on the ground, at the exact same moment when a series of deafening screams ripped through the air.

Heads whipped around and eyes widened as the scene unfolded in front of them. Just a few blocks away, a few stories of an office building was ablaze, the roaring flames greedily reaching out the windows for more air as black smoke shrouded the transparent windows.

"FIRE!!!" Someone shouted redundantly. 

Seonghwa swiveled around urgently to see the men they had just captured sitting in a rather calm and collected nature. He felt his heart pound as he stared at the box of matches and made the connection.

In his vision, the criminals were holding bottles of flammable liquid. Now, they only had matches. That could only mean one thing: they've already done the job.

By not letting Yunho join this mission, they had technically avoided a fire. But it had also started another.

Seonghwa clenched his fists. His only hope now was that the building was empty. "We have to go help," he said to the others. 

Hongjoong's eyes were as dark as the smoke coming out of the windows of the building. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. We don't have a plan. We can't just go in there. We should at least call the others for backup."

"I'll call Yunho," Jongho said.

Seonghwa nodded. The vision he had had changed. There was no reason to keep Yunho out of this anymore.

They left the criminals behind and ran towards the fire, knowing that their teammates were probably already inside thanks to Wooyoung's teleportation skills. 

The heat was oppressive inside the building. Air was scarce within the enclosed space, and the foundation creaked and groaned under the pressure of the aggressive flames. 

"I'll go this side!" Yunho shouted to Wooyoung in between coughs. Their goal was to save any innocent people who might have been unlucky enough to be trapped here on a Saturday. 

Wooyoung buried his nose and mouth into the crook of his arm and made an 'ok' sign with his free hand as a response. 

After watching his teammate disappear into the pulsing red waves, Yunho turned around and faced the obstacles in front of him. A large portion of the ceiling had broken off, and along with the toppled cabinets, they form a pile of debris that blocked the only way into the office rooms.

That was why Yunho chose this path. Only he had the powers to clear the way and explore the floor safely. Wooyoung hadn't been in this building before, which meant he couldn't just teleport inside the rooms. It was too dangerous - he could easily teleport into the flames.

Yunho took a deep breath and stretched his hands. He told himself he could do this. He could do this if he focused on what he had to do instead of the ways this could go wrong.

He had to do this quick too, if he didn't want to get burned alive. So he raised his arm and the topmost piece of obstacle - something that resembled a ceiling board - levitated with it. Yunho winced when he heard something crack underneath, but carefully set aside the board before he lost focus and cause more damage by dropping it. 

The flames climbed the walls next to him and lashed out their fiery tongues. Yunho's lungs burned from the smoke and lack of oxygen. His clothes were glued to his skin from the sweat and grit. His vision swam in the sea of red and orange. He was starting to get dizzy.

Yunho shook his head vigorously to wake himself up. The sense of urgency that came with it prompted him to move quickly. With both hands now, he moved the obstacles away piece by piece, biting his lips in the effort to avoid touching anything that might collapse and create blockage again.

In 10 minutes, the hallway was completely cleared, save for the treacherous fire growing by the minute. Yunho coughed and inched his way into the first room, trying to ignore the pain in his chest and the exhaustion that was taking over his limbs. 

The room was so bright from the flames Yunho could barely open his eyes. He squinted, trying to look for anything that was human-shaped. "Hello?" He said, but his voice was drowned by the cracks and groans and roars in the room. 

Knowing he could not possibly surpass the fiery wall, Yunho turned around to leave. He was just about to cross the doorway when he felt a sudden sting in the back of his shoulder. Adrenaline rushed into his system, calling his body to full alert. But before he could turn his head to locate the danger, he felt whatever he was shot with flood into his veins, the coolness of it making him shiver despite the waves of heat emanating from his surroundings. 

The adrenaline left his body, replaced with an unknown substance that was sucking up his energy.

With difficulty, Yunho opened his eyes and saw a blurry silhouette of a man before he felt his body go limp and he fell to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for doing this to Yunho! I'm a Yunho stan too but this makes things much more interesting so I had to add it. But this story is not nearly finished so stick around to find out what happened to Yunho!


	15. Missing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The members realize Yunho is missing.

"Where's Yunho-hyung?" Jongho asked, his voice rigid.

They were all standing outside the building now, far away from the cluster of ambulances, firetrucks, and the few police cars parked sporadically in the middle of the road. The few people they have managed to save were either limping around in a daze or huddled in the back of an ambulance with cups of water in their hands. 

Wooyoung searched the crowd for his teammate, his slightly singed bangs swiping left and right along with his swiveling head. "We parted ways. He should be here soon." 

Jongho heard the uncertainty hidden beneath the feigned assurance. "I'm going back inside." He strode forward, shaking off the hand that was holding him back by his shoulder.

Hongjoong grabbed Jongho again. "Wait! It's too dangerous. You'll-" He stopped abruptly, the words lost in a gasp.

Jongho felt the sudden slack in Hongjoong's grasp and turned around, only to look behind him again as he followed the leader's gaze. "What? What did you see?" Having a really bad feeling that his life was about to fall apart, Jongho could no longer contain the urgency and desperation in his voice. 

His bad feeling was right. 

"That's one of the government officials who visited us that day," Hongjoong said grimly. 

"Why is she here?" Mingi asked, but it wasn't so hard to speculate at all.

As the terrifying realization settled in, the members reacted differently. Hongjoong shouted obscenities and punched a nearby tree. Wooyoung stared blankly at the building as he bit his lip. Seonghwa prayed silently. Mingi placed his hands on his head and ruffled his hair like a madman. Jongho, frozen from shock and devastation, broke away from his trance and started to run blindly into the crowd, hoping to catch the woman.

Mingi, the only person who could run faster than Jongho, ran after him and blocked his path with his body.

"Get out of the way." Jongho clawed at Mingi's shirt, trying to shove the tall member aside. Mingi ignored the pain at his sides and tried to get a good grip at Jongho's flailing arms so he could make him stay still. 

"Jongho." Mingi understood how Jongho felt. There was no point in shouting, or getting angry. Nothing could get through when family was involved. All Mingi had to do was wait for the fight in Jongho to wear away, for Jongho to accept the truth.

Jongho's hits and shoves gradually became weaker, less painful, until they ceased completely and his arms fell limply on his sides. His knees went weak, but before he could collapse onto the floor, Mingi held him tightly by his sides and pulled him into a hug.

"We don't even know if he really is taken away." Mingi felt slightly weird when the consoling words left his mouth. Usually it was Seonghwa who do these things. "But if he is, we'll find him."

Jongho nodded into Mingi's shirt.

After a few more minutes of dreadful waiting, Hongjoong decided it was time to return.

Back in their base, an emergency meeting commenced.

"Keep calling Yunho's number," Hongjoong said to San, who was already holding up his phone to his ear. 

"What should we do now?" Jongho forced his eyes to look away from San and his phone. He needed to focus on something else. It was the only way to stop his mind from imagining all the possible (all of which are bad) explanations for Yunho's disappearance.

"We stick to the original plan," Hongjoong replied tersely. "We're moving first thing tomorrow morning."

Everyone was too taken aback to reply. Only San continued moving, redialing Yunho's number over and over again like a robot that only knew how to carry out one simple task. 

"I know not all of you will agree with me," Hongjoong continued. It was difficult to get those words out even though he had meticulously planned what to say before all of this. He knew this moment would come, but it was only now that he realized no amount of preparation would make what he was about to do easier. 

"So if you want to work for the government, if you don't want to run away, then I won't stop you. You can make your own decisions. I know I'm not the best leader out there. I don't have the right to dictate to this group." 

Hongjoong looked down at his intertwined hands on the table. He was about to crack under the heavy silence. 

"How about Yunho-hyung?" Jongho said quietly.

Hongjoong looked up from his hands, but he avoided eye contact with the maknae. "We'll think of something. We all know he can be the strongest among us if he needs to be. I don't think he'll be in immediate danger. Besides, if he really is taken away, his life is unlikely to be threatened. His death isn't what the government wants."

Another long silence followed. It was so quiet everyone could hear the soft dialing tones from San's phone, which eventually stopped and turned into the annoying robotic voice announcing the user is busy. 

Wooyoung scanned the members, looking for any sign of reaction from his teammates. Disappointment showed on his face when no one spoke. 

"Are you kidding me?" Wooyoung stared at the leader, hoping to see some sort of emotion on his face. But Hongjoong's eyes were cold. "How's that any different from leaving Yunho behind?"

"That's why I'm giving you the option," Hongjoong said firmly. 

Yeosang placed a hand on Wooyoung's lap, a signal that he had to try and control his anger. Wooyoung huffed in disbelief. "There's no option if you know your priorities. You don't even have to think about it. It's clear what we have to do."

Seonghwa turned towards the leader after hearing the offensive statement. Fortunately, Hongjoong knew how to control his emotions.

"I hope you understand that I didn't make this choice easily. I care about all of you, but I also care about the team itself. If all of you leaves me, I want to stay behind and protect the team." Hongjoong looked at all the members now, not only Wooyoung. "I found this team. I found it to protect others in my own way. To give special people like us a chance to prove themselves to others. I don't want to change this. So I'm staying, and in case you want to come back, you'll find the exact same team here. Unchanged."

Hongjoong stood up. He didn't expect himself to deliver such an emotional message. But the words were all genuine, straight from his heart. Now he couldn't bear to look at his teammates. Because if he did, he wouldn't be able to hold himself together, to hold the tears back.

"I'll always welcome you in our hidden base. You all know the address." With that, Hongjoong walked away. 

Before anyone could say anything, San stood up abruptly, pressing the phone against his ear.

"Hello? Yunho, is that you? I'm San!"

Jongho's eyes widened and he stood up too, raising his hands instinctively to get the phone. He stopped his arms in mid-air and retracted them only when he realized his actions were slightly rude and inappropriate. 

San listened to the other end of the phone and nodded. Then he passed the phone to Jongho.

"Hyung?"

_Hey._

Upon hearing his brother's voice, Jongho fell back onto his chair and felt the tension leave his body all at once.

_I'm okay._

Jongho could only nod. He would definitely cry if he said anything.

_They didn't hurt me._

"Please come back," Jongho pleaded.

There was a pause.

_You know I don't want to._

"But..."

_Now that I'm here, I'm just going to try it out. If it is dangerous, or if I don't like it, I'll find a way to go back to you._

Jongho was so focused on his words, he didn't even notice the members leaving the room so he could be alone.

_I'm sorry if I disappoint you. I just want to be the best I can. So do what you want, because I know you don't agree with me. I think it's time for me to think about this alone. So don't come after me. Don't try to bring me back. Tell the others too._

"But..." Jongho began, instinctively thinking of a way to change Yunho's mind. But he couldn't deny the fact that he understood his brother, that there was little point in trying. 

"I'll tell the others. We'll be in our hidden base, if you want to come back." 

_Thank you. And I'll send you my location. Give that to those who wants to follow me._

"Ok," said Jongho. 

_I'm told that you'll be chased down starting tomorrow. They might put you in jail if you get caught. So be careful._

Jongho's grip on the phone tightened. "We'll be well hidden." 

_Ok. I have to go now._

"I think you should talk to Hongjoong-hyung."

_I love you._

"Wait!" But Jongho was cut off by a short beep, and the phone went dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Yunho's safe now. Or it seems so, at least. But the group is starting to split apart! Jongho supports Yunho for now, but that might change in the future...who knows? I hope you liked the little bromance I added XD


	16. Split

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wooyoung wakes up earlier than everyone else...to do what?

Wooyoung opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He gave himself a few moments to adjust to the darkness before carefully peeling off the duvet cover. As he sat up and left the bed, he glanced at the digital clock on his bedside table. The flashing red numbers said 5:00.

It was still dark outside, but it wouldn't be for long.

Wooyoung made sure Yeosang was still sleeping peacefully on the bed before leaving the room. 

The house was quiet and still, as if it was a huge bear in hibernation. Wooyoung padded to the dining table with writing materials. He could barely see the lines on the paper, but the first light of dawn sneaked in through the dining room, and he was able to get the words down in a legible manner. 

Whatever emotions that were closed off during the night were awaken at once as Wooyoung scribbled on the paper. It all felt so surreal. He couldn't believe the words that appeared on the page, nor his hand that seemed to be moving at their own will. After he finished writing, he laid the three notes on the table.

A heavy sigh left Wooyoung's lips. The future was held inside the three slips of paper in front of him. It might change everything. It might also just turn out to be...well, to be what they are: three flimsy pieces of paper.

The future was a blur, just like Wooyoung's mind, when he stood up, sneaked into the members' room and placed the notes on two different bedside tables.

Someone was waiting for Wooyoung by the time he returned to the kitchen.

"Why are you awake so early?" Yeosang was leaning against the counter with a cup of water in his hand.

Wooyoung watched his roommate take a sip from his cup. "I needed to go to the washroom, but I couldn't go back to sleep."

Yeosang raised his eyebrows. "You can't sleep, but you tidied up everything in your room, packed a bag, and wrote something out here with no light? It doesn't look like you're moving with the others, either, because you would've packed everything."

"I need to stop trying to outsmart you," Wooyoung said, trying to lighten the mood. 

Yeosang's smile didn't last long. He held up one of Wooyoung's notes. "I woke up right after you came in. I looked outside the door and saw you in the hallway."

Wooyoung, embarrassed he got caught, didn't know what to say.

"This is an address, right? To where Yunho is. When did Jongho tell you?" Yeosang's voice was soft, which was a relief to Wooyoung's stressed heart.

"He texted me last night." 

Yeosang looked at Wooyoung, waiting for elaboration. Wooyoung sighed. Somehow, it was harder to explain things than he thought it would be. "He thinks I'm most likely to go find Yunho, because I don't like leaving people behind. And he was right."

Yeosang set down his cup and stood up straight. "He's staying?"

Wooyoung nodded, as if it had just occurred to him for the first time. "I guess so. But if even I'm that worried, shouldn't he be even more anxious?"

"I think he is." 

"Then why..."

Yeosang walked up to Wooyoung and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe Yunho doesn't want Jongho to go. He wants Jongho to do what he wants to do. It's an understanding between brothers. They've been through a lot. We'll never understand."

"Did something happen to them?" Wooyoung questioned.

"Yes, but it's not my place to tell you that. I only figured it out accidentally." Yeosang imagined - not for the first time - how hard it must've been for the brothers after they were orphaned.

Wooyoung smiled sadly. "You can look through everyone, can't you?"

Yeosang's hand slipped off the shoulder and he looked away. "Sometimes I wish I couldn't." 

Realizing that he had touched on something personal, Wooyoung changed the topic. "So, are you coming with me?"

Instead of replying, Yeosang took one long look at the note, folded it in half, and tucked it into his pocket. 

Wooyoung smiled, and as if on cue, someone appeared in the doorway.

"San?" Hope was evident in Wooyoung's tone, and his eyes seemed to shine just from seeing the familiar face. 

"The bed feels empty."

Wooyoung couldn't resist anymore and rushed up to hug San tightly. He knew San had been close friends with Yunho for years, which was why he trusted him to not leave Yunho behind, either. 

"We should go now, if we want to leave before the others wake up," Yeosang said.

"How about Seonghwa?" Wooyoung wrote three notes. The last one was for Seonghwa. 

"He's not coming with us." Yeosang turned on the tap to rinse his cup.

"How do you know?"

The sound of flowing water stopped abruptly. "I thought you trusted my instincts." 

"I do," Wooyoung said quietly. He always saw Seonghwa as the member he could trust when anyone needed help and comfort. But he understood now that there were always exceptions. Something bigger than what you can see.

At exactly 5:45am, three members of _Alternare_ bid a silent goodbye to their home. 

For another 15 minutes, the house was silent and undisturbed. 

And then the alarms rang, followed closely by doors opening, lights flickering on, and greetings being exchanged. The sounds of a morning hustle filled the house thoroughly before someone felt that something was missing.

"Guys," Seonghwa called. The note he found on his bedside table was now sitting on the dining table. 

Everyone gathered around the table. Jongho spotted the note first and immediately found a spot on the floor to stare at. Hongjoong sensed the youngest's unease and felt his heart grow heavier. Only Mingi looked around and waited for the others to fill up the empty spaces around them.

"You can stop looking. They're not here anymore."

Mingi stared at Seonghwa, and when he got no reply, looked at the other members one by one. He received silent treatment.

Then, as if he finally figured it out but couldn't seem to accept the truth, he stormed off into his room. 

Seonghwa followed almost automatically.

"I know it's hard for you to accept the truth. It's not easy for any of us." _Especially for Jongho,_ Seonghwa wanted to say, but he stopped himself. The conversation was about Mingi, not Jongho. 

Mingi was lying on the bed, his back facing the door. "Is this the only way this could go?" He mumbled.

Seonghwa felt his heart clench at the amount of hurt in Mingi's words. He walked to the bed, but sat on the opposite side. "You know, I'm heartbroken that we had to separate like this. But _we're_ not broken." Seonghwa heard shuffling behind him. "No one knows how this would go. Not even me. I can see the future sometimes, but the future is always changing. Isn't that why we managed to catch all those criminals?"

When Seonghwa looked behind his shoulder, he wasn't surprised to find Mingi staring back at him. "I take comfort from knowing that we don't hate each other. We just want to do different things, for once."

Mingi pushed himself upright. He nodded and gave Seonghwa a tiny smile, but his muscles felt unnatural and forced at best. No words left his mouth.

"Let's pack up, and then I'll make you pancakes for breakfast, ok?"

A chuckle escaped Mingi's mouth. "I'm not a kid. Don't use food to cheer me up."

An hour and a half later, Hongjoong closed the front door and turned the key. The four members settled into a car, their luggage in the trunk. 

Then they exited the driveway and went towards the city, where the sun dipped its golden edge onto the tallest buildings and gave them a surreal glow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're finally separated! Which group made the correct choice? Read on to find out! There will be a lot of action soon!


	17. Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wooyoung, Yeosang, and San went to find Yunho.

Three curt knocks echoed inside the hollow house, formerly _Alternare_ 's base. No one answered the door.

Outside, the pleasant chirps of birds were interrupted rudely by a harsh bang on the doorframe.

"They must've gone already," said a man. He wasn't the one who slammed the door. He had a calm and collected composure compared to his companion.

"Yea, no sh*t," replied the burly man. He shook his right hand vigorously, trying in vail to get rid of the stinging pain.

The calmer of the two cast a judging glance at his partner and shook his head lightly. Before he could voice his criticism, a ringtone sounded from his shirt pocket.

The burly man stopped shaking his hand and watched apprehensively as the other take the phone call.

"Yes...ok...we'll be back soon." The smaller man tucked away his phone.

"What is it?"

"Three more turned up."

The man frowned. "How about the other four?"

The slim man clicked his tongue. "Gone, like you said." Then he turned around and walked briskly back to their black car.

-

"So what's our plan?" San shrugged to keep his loose backpack straps from slipping off his shoulders.

Wooyoung, Yeosang, and San were standing in front of a generic building. Around 20 stories high, it was built from concrete, the windows stained with dirt and dust accumulated for years, its yellow wallpaper peeling off the front side — it looked so normal that they probably past by a dozen times without noticing it.

But it wasn't a normal building, not anymore. 

"Grab Yunho and get out of here?" Wooyoung suggested. It was the first thought that came into his mind since Yunho called them, and he never thought twice about it.

Yeosang glanced at Wooyoung incredulously. Wooyoung didn't get the point.

"What?" 

"We're _not_ doing that." Yeosang sounded impatient and annoyed that he had to explain, which was very unlike his usual self. "Am I really the only one who can see the bigger picture?" He looked back and forth between his teammates, saw their blank faces, and continued. 

"Yunho _called_ us, which means he's safe. No one's controlling him or anything, unless he was forced to read from a script, which is possible but unlikely. So why can't we join Yunho and give it a try? At least we know, or can assume, that we'll be safe here, like Yunho. Isn't this better than moving away and not knowing when we'll get caught?"

"Oh." Wooyoung said. "I see." The confused expression was gone, but he didn't sound assured or confident at all.

Yeosang sighed and gave up. "Let's just get in." 

The trio walked past two guards, pushed opened the front door, and gaped at the view presented to them. 

The opulent interior of the building was no match for its mundane exterior. They were standing in the middle of a massive lobby, brightly lit by extravagant chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Under their feet was a square shaped rug in the color of expensive grape wine, trimmed with thin lines of gold, its corners almost stretching all the way to fill the whole floor.

Directly in front of them was a long counter with three receptionists behind it, wearing identical, neat uniforms as they worked on their desktops, oblivious of the new visitors. On both sides of the counter, the lobby extends into two long hallways with which they could only assume led to elevators.

Surrounded by white and gold marble pillars and immaculate walls made of the same material, they felt small and out of place. Lost in the grandness. 

"What are we supposed to do?" Wooyoung whispered. The lobby was mostly empty, and he felt a weird obligation to keep their presence as insignificant as possible. 

Wooyoung barely finished his question before a red haired woman in a black business suit approached them.

The woman introduced herself as Kim, a manager working here. She didn't give much details. She tapped on her phone and examined the screen closely before looking up. "You're Yeosang, Wooyoung, and San, am I right?"

The three men nodded dumbly.

"Come with me. We've been expecting you." She put away her phone and gestured towards the hallway closer to them.

Wooyoung ignored the outstretched hand. "Who's we? Where's Yunho?" 

"Everything will be explained very soon." Kim smiled, but the way her eyes remained stony and professional unsettled all of them.

Yeosang walked first, but he gave San and Wooyoung a little nudge on their arms to encourage them to follow. Kim led them inside the hallway and into an already available elevator. They didn't even have time to take in the magnificence of the elevator hall before the doors slid shut and they began their ascend.

San hated awkward silences. "Where are we going? What is this place exactly?"

"Your questions will be answered when we arrive," came the robotic reply.

San gave up after that.

When the elevator door opened again, they were surprised to find themselves in a room resembling a living room from a suite.

"Someone is waiting for you here. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask him." Kim stayed in the elevator, pressing the "doors open" button with one finger and ushering the men out with her free hand.

"Who?" San asked, but the doors shut just as he stepped out and Kim disappeared from sight. 

"Great," mumbled San. 

Wooyoung, Yeosang, and San placed down their belongings on the sofa and began exploring the apartment. 

Another surprise waited in one of the rooms. 

"Yunho?" Wooyoung stood at the doorway, slightly dumbfounded. 

"You came!" Yunho said. He stood up from the bed he was sitting on and gave Wooyoung a hug. "I didn't hear you guys. This place is huge, and the walls are soundproof." Yeosang and San appeared behind Wooyoung, and they joined in into a group hug. 

"I'm so glad you came," Yunho continued after they released each other. "I was worried that I would be alone here."

"Don't worry, Jongho didn't let that happen," Wooyoung replied. When he saw Yunho's face darkened slightly from the mention of Jongho, he quickly added, "I'm sorry...he seemed adamant about moving with the others."

"It's okay, I know. He told me already, and I understand his choice. The other's, too." A small smile appeared on Yunho's lips.

"The woman who brought us here said you could answer our questions," San said, bringing everyone back to topic.

"I guess I can try. I'm still getting used to everything." 

The newcomers found a seat in the bedroom and listened to Yunho's story. 

Yunho briefly talked about the incident in the burning building. "I don't remember much after that. When I woke up, I was already here, on this bed."

"Do you know what this place is?" Yeosang asked.

"The same woman who visited us a while ago is the only person I came in contact with since I woke up. Her name is Kim." The other three nodded. "She told me the name of this building, but it was way to complicated, and I was too sleepy to remember. But I did learn that this is a place where a special department working for the government keep people they think are useful."

"What a great place," Wooyoung said sarcastically.

Yunho smiled sheepishly. "It's not as bad as you think. I just don't know how to explain it in a better way. All you have to know is that we're not prisoners, and they are going to help us."

Yeosang frowned. "How?"

"We'll meet someone tomorrow," Yunho answered.

Yeosang wasn't satisfied with the answer, but he let it go knowing Yunho was only relaying information he was given.

"One last question," said San, "do you know what's going to happen to Hongjoong and the others?"

The atmosphere became uncomfortable instantly. Yunho licked his dry lips and averted his eyes to stare at a spot behind San. "She...didn't say explicitly," Yunho stuttered. "But she implied that they will find the rest of the group if they don't turn themselves in, and that there will be criminal charges."

The room fell silent again. Even with the door opened, San felt like there wasn't enough air circulation in the room. He asked quietly, "Should we warn them?"

Yunho's voice was heavy. "We did, remember? They want something else. And I understand, I respect that. But someone definitely won't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yunho is safe with the government, but this might not last forever! Will things within the group change now that they are physically separated? Read on to find out! ;)


	18. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Mingi, and Jongho settle down in their other hideout. How do they feel about the others leaving?

Seonghwa sat on an outdoor bench, staring into the woods. He was surrounded by the most original form of nature, something peaceful and undisturbed. Yet somehow the environment did nothing but accentuate the unrest in his heart.

"Worrying about the others?"

Seonghwa looked back to see Hongjoong standing behind him. He smiled before facing the woods again.

"A little bit."

Hongjoong let out a small chuckle. That prompted Seonghwa to turn his head again with an arched eyebrow, so he explained, "I thought I was the one worrying. I must've looked scary the past few days whenever I said I would move away no matter what."

Seonghwa nodded. His eyes found the trees again, and this time he let some peace be found inside him. "Even I was scared. You looked so stern..." His gaze wandered to his hands on his lap. "Why are you so against the idea of trusting the government?"

"Other than the fact they took San and intruded our old base to threaten us?" Hongjoong said, but he wasn't sarcastic. He stood in silence for a long moment, considering the question seriously. "I have a bad feeling. That this would make a deep wound in our team's morale."

Seonghwa tensed, taken aback by the leader's dismal statement.

"I...actually have something to tell you." Seonghwa got Hongjoong's attention now.

"I had a vision a while ago, even before the celebration, when we caught the thieves trying to rob a bank." Seonghwa stood up and turned around so his back was facing the woods. "I think we'll..." He struggled to find the right word, so he settled for the first one that came to mind. "There might be a battle among us, and I know it's about what we're going through now. I just don't know exactly what the triggering point is."

If Hongjoong was surprised, he didn't show it. "What do you think is the best way to change this?"

On the other hand, Seonghwa seemed even more anxious than Hongjoong. He recalled the vision again, but it didn't get any easier to see the future. They were fighting with their powers, and there were injuries and destruction everywhere. The image haunted him for many nights, but there was one seemingly straightforward solution he could think of.

"I'm trying my best not to create conflict within the group. I encourage others to do the same. There might be some tension between us, but I don't think there's hatred." Seonghwa paused, then gritted his teeth. "Yet."

Hongjoong nodded, but there was still something he wanted to know. "And you think it's ok for Yunho and the others to stay with the government?"

There was a sliver of doubt in Seonghwa's eyes, but his voice was steady. "I didn't see anything relating to the government." He didn't mention that his vision was like scenes cut from a film and messily put back together.

"And logically speaking, I don't think the rest of the group is in danger. If the government really had intentions to hurt them, they would've done it already, because why would they risk keeping a group of people with supernatural, powerful, abilities?" Seonghwa took a deep breath, making sure he didn't sound like he was only comforting himself. "But Jongho was on the phone with Yunho, so we don't have to worry."

Hongjoong mirrored Seonghwa's uncertainty in his own eyes, but he decided it was the best they had to go with.

Seonghwa glanced sideways at the trees, eager for some peace in his heart. Surprisingly, some came. He remembered what Yunho told him not long ago. _Just let fate play out by its own this time_. It felt really naive back then, but Seonghwa was really starting to agree with Yunho. The younger followed its instincts, so why shouldn't he? Everyone was fine now, so why don't go one step at a time? It was tiring to keep pursuing the best version of the future.

Seonghwa's lips curled up slightly. "Let's focus on the present, Hongjoong."

Then he patted the leader's shoulder two times and walked inside the house.

Dinner time came and Hongjoong took the opportunity to explain their next steps with only half the team left.

"I think we should stay low for a while. There's no good in drawing attention to ourselves by going out there and chasing criminals."

Jongho and Mingi took a moment to go through the logic.

"So we stay here. Until when?" Jongho asked.

Hongjoong looked at Seonghwa for help. He wasn't very good at delivering the truth in a positive way.

"We don't know yet, but for now let's just focus on the fact that we're safe. Everyone, including those who aren't here with us." Seonghwa looked at Jongho as he said the last words.

"Won't the government find us eventually?" Mingi eyed the members uneasily.

"They don't know where we are," Hongjoong replied. His voice was steady, but he knew what he said wouldn't be true for long. After all, they were intruded in their old base.

Mingi saw the flaw in Hongjoong's statement. "Yunho, San, Wooyoung, and Yeosang do."

Jongho's head snapped towards Mingi. "Yunho won't tell those people anything." His voice was very deep and hoarse, almost aggressive like a growl. "And he won't let San, Wooyoung, or Yeosang do it."

Affronted, Mingi rebuked. "You don't know that. It might look like everything's fine for now, but things change. What if Yunho is threatened? What if Yunho thinks-"

A nearby window slammed open and a strong breeze invaded the warm kitchen. Shivers ran down everyone's spines. "You don't know what you're talking about!"Jongho was visibly fuming now. He knew Mingi only used Yunho's name as a way to provoke him further.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa shared worried and panicked gazes. They needed to think carefully. What they would say could calm the storm, but it could also add fuel to the fire.

Mingi was glaring at Jongho with malevolent eyes. His jaw was clenched due to the strong wind that was starting to turn icy. His shirt rippled and flapped against his skin as if it was angry itself. "You shouldn't have shouted at me like that."

Jongho's clothes were still, and he was heating up from trying to hold in his rage. They were both too angry for coherent words, but Jongho thought for a split second that he could easily overpower Mingi with his abilities. His eyes widened. The notion - the fact that he would use his powers to hurt others - scared Jongho, and he wavered, loosening his fists and eventually losing control over artificial wind in the room.

Now he looked like he wanted to cry. "Yunho hyung would never do it." Jongho's voice was quiet. Mingi softened his composure. Hongjoong and Seonghwa relaxed.

"He always put others in front of himself. He would never do something that would hurt us, or pull us down." Jongho paused to take a deep breath, so he wouldn't stutter. "He really wanted to leave us and train, to control his powers well, before coming back. He didn't want to hurt us. He thought, and probably still thinks, that he did the most damage during our missions."

Jongho's voice broke towards the end. He stared down at the table.

Seonghwa signaled to Mingi.

"I'm sorry," Mingi said. "I'm just nervous. There are too many uncertainties."

Jongho nodded, but didn't reply.

"It's getting late," Hongjoong said. "We should get some rest. We have to be awake and alert at all times from now on, in case the government finds us."

"Goodnight," Seonghwa said. He exited the kitchen.

Mingi and Hongjoong followed, but Jongho stayed, letting his thoughts accompany himself in the empty room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mingi doesn't seem to trust Yunho, but no one knows if he's right in doing so. The team has just went through a drastic change and it's hard to say which side made the correct choice. Things will start to become clearer in the next few chapters!
> 
> Btw, thank you so much for 1400 hits! And since a lot of things are happening in different parts of the world right now, I hope you're all doing fine! We're all fighting together, so let's hope things will get better soon :)


	19. Expert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunho, Yeosang, San, and Wooyoung meet an "expert".

_1 day after separating_

"What are we doing today?" Wooyoung stretched as he approached the table covered in delicious breakfast.

Yunho took a bite of his jammed toast, the satisfying crunch making Wooyoung salivate. "We're meeting the supposed expert that will help us and explain more about what we're doing here."

Wooyoung sat down and poured himself a full mug of coffee. "Nice. We can finally understand what's going to happen to us."

The bitterness of the hot beverage reminded him of the conversation they had last night. It also snapped him out of the state of confusion he was only half-aware he was in since the moment he decided to slip notes under his teammates' bedroom doors. He was finally mindful of the new setting he was in, the things happening around him, and the emotions that came with it.

Wooyoung realized that everyone else's plates were emptying quickly, so he broached, "Will we know what's going to happen to the others? We'll know if they're wanted by the police, right?"

San choked on the piece of scrambled egg he was swallowing. Wooyoung patted his back lightly, instantly regretting bringing up the uncomfortable topic.

"It's okay, I'm fine." San took huge gulps of water.

No one was comfortable to continue eating, so Wooyoung explained himself. "It's only been a day, but we don't seem as... _together_ anymore. Physically and mentally. I know we're adjusting, but I don't want us to break apart." He had more to say, but he was afraid to ruin the mood further. So he kept the thoughts to himself.

Sitting there, he knew more or less that he was going to have a chance to use his powers in a legitimate way, yet he still wasn't sure whether he made the right choice by coming here. He was proud that he didn't leave Yunho alone, but in truth, he wanted more than that. He wanted everything to go back to normal, but he also wished - more than once - that they could stop being anonymous heroes. 

Yunho finally found a suitable reply. "That's not for you to worry about, Wooyoung. You came here because of me. I could've escaped and went back. But I didn't. I make us look like the selfish bunch who left our friends in danger of being arrested, while we are here enjoying privileges."

Yunho emptied his cup of hot tea in one gulp. He exhaled heavily before meeting Wooyoung's eyes again.

"To be honest, I stayed here partly because I am scared to face consequences if I go back."

"We'll never blame you for that," said San. Yunho smiled gratefully, but there was a twinge of sadness in his eyes.

Wooyoung nodded. He still felt bad for starting this conversation, especially now that Yunho had to pour his heart out to loosen things up. "I just hope that everything will be fixed soon. I don't care how, as long as we're together, safe, and happy."

Wooyoung had just finished his sentence when the elevator doors opened with a ding, and Kim - the only authoritative person they met here - stepped inside.

"Good morning everyone, I'll bring you to Dr. Yeon." Kim announced tersely. She walked back inside the elevator without checking if everyone followed.

They descended to basement level before the elevator door opened again.

"Hi guys!" A deep voice boomed as soon as the door cracked open, startling San, who was standing right by the door.

The man in front of them was short but huge, his lab coat stretching so tightly to wrap around his body you can see the stitches barely holding on. He has flat black hair with tufts sticking out here and there, but his eyes were warm and his smile was kind. The pair of comical thick-framed glasses underneath a pair of stained lab goggles were the final touches to create an impression that he was the most harmless scientist you would ever find.

Yunho, Yeosang, and Wooyoung bowed politely in greeting as they shuffled out the elevator. San recovered from shock and eventually addressed the doctor with a friendly smile.

"Were young adults like you always so polite?" Dr. Yeon let out a hearty laugh, but stopped shortly when he saw the elevator doors close. "Ms. Kim! Are you leaving already? Don't you want to stay and look around?"

The young visitors turned around to see a slightly annoyed Kim who was consulting her watch impatiently. "You know how busy I am, doctor." She said flatly, releasing her finger on the "door open" button.

"Doesn't hurt to try..." the doctor chuckled sheepishly. "Anyway," he said, raising his voice suddenly and capturing the attention of the group of four. "Ready to tour the lab?"

Yeosang, who was quiet but easily the most intrigued member, followed close behind the doctor and started to bombard him with questions.

"What do you do here? What are you researching? Who are these people around us? Are they all your assistants? Colleagues? Students? But some of them aren't wearing lab coats. What _is_ this place?"

Dr. Yeon used his hearty laugh as an answer to most of the questions and added only a few vague statements. 

The three following Yeosang had to keep chasing up because they were taking their time absorbing the overwhelming scene set before them. The place didn't look like a basement at all, and the lights created a soft glow that mimicked sunlight from a good day. 

Lab benches were placed in an orderly manner, but the equipment, documents, notes, and files piled on top of each of the surfaces made it look like a young prodigious teenager's room that hadn't been cleaned up in years. On top of that, dozens and dozens of people filled the lab with liveliness and buzzing energy. Most of them were wearing identical lab coats and crowded around tables, but some walked around with papers or vials in their hands, and others sat or stood as if they were volunteers in a lab experiment.

No one noticed they've entered another room until a door slid close behind them and Dr. Yeon sat down with a thump in a desk chair.

"Welcome to your room," said the doctor.

"Our room?" asked Wooyoung.

The group looked around. The room was almost empty, save for Dr. Yeon's desk, a computer, and something that resembled a control panel on one of the walls.

"Yes, you'll train here." Dr. Yeon stood up and paced around his desk. "You know why you're _asked_ here in the first place. So - and I'm sorry to say this - I'm afraid you have to stay here until the higher-ups let you do anything important out there."

"But I'm-" San started, but before he could remind the doctor that he was just a normal human, Yunho interrupted.

"How will you train us?" Yunho was still examining the room, too absorbed in his own thoughts to be fully aware of his surroundings.

Dr. Yeon's laugh reverberated in the spacious room. "I might be a normal human, but nothing is impossible with a little technology and science."

San opened his mouth again, but gave up trying when Yeosang jumped in with his own question. "Who are those people out there?"

The doctor's eyes lit up. "They are special people like you. But not nearly as special as Yunho, or Wooyoung."

"Are you doing experiments on them?" Yeosang questioned uneasily.

The smile on Dr. Yeon's lips faded away. "Yes...and no. I'm only doing what I do best: research and expand our knowledge on science. So I guess the best way to put this is that we're learning about them, and they are also learning about themselves. Like you will." He met eyes with Yunho as he finished his explanation.

"Don't worry, they are very safe," the doctor added. "You can see for yourself later on."

"What exactly are you going to do to us?" Yunho asked.

Dr. Yeon sat down again and sighed. "The lab is only a tiny part of the whole...for the lack of a better word, organization, that deals with people like you." He looked at Yunho, who blinked back in confusion. "Basically, I don't know. All I know is that I'm keeping you here because you turned yourselves in. My job is to make sure you can control your powers."

The short man glanced at the small digital clock on his desk. "Oh! I'm late for a meeting. Feel free to look around the lab. Training starts tomorrow." He stood up and rushed towards the automatic doors.

"Wait! What about the others?" Wooyoung shouted. Somehow, the doctor understood what he meant and turned around.

"You made the right choice coming here. Now you get the chance to train, learn more about yourselves, instead of having to sit in a prison cell. That's what people told me, anyway." He saw the fear in Wooyoung's eyes and hastily added, "But as far as I know, the government doesn't waste time on small things. As long as your friends stop destroying everything they touch, they'll be fine."

Without waiting for questions, Dr. Yeon left.

Wooyoung let out a sigh of relief. At least it was good news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is a bit boring, but I have to explain what things are like inside the lab and what Yunho's "team" will be doing. Dr. Yeon seems to be an innocent and passionate scientist, and he did give Wooyoung some good news, but who knows if he's right?
> 
> Since there's not much action in this chapter, you can prepare for some excitement in the next!


	20. Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jongho and Yunho have a conversation over the phone, but got interrupted by Mingi.

_5 days after separating_

_You finally decided to call?_

Even though Jongho said that in a playful way, Yunho couldn't help but to feel bad.

"Sorry, we were much busier than we thought it would be."

_What do you have to do? Those people didn't mistreat you guys, did they?_

"Of course not!" Yunho looked at his beautiful room and shook his head. "We've been training. Well, Wooyoung and I, anyway. San was given a job, and he'll get paid soon." _After the government forgives us for property damage,_ he almost said. But he held his tongue before he could ruin the good mood the brothers were in. "Yeosang made a lot of new friends by researching with the scientists and solving cases with the detectives, and me and Wooyoung just practice."

_How? Is it helping?_

Yunho struggled to think of something. "You wouldn't understand what I'm saying. Even I can't fully grasp the concept."

It was true. All he understood was the fact that virtual reality was implemented in the empty room/Dr. Yeon's office, and helpers would bring specially designed objects for him to move around. He knew they had to be special because the objects interacted with things in the virtual reality.

Yunho shook his head again. It still boggled his mind. "All you have to know is that I am more comfortable doing this now that I know I can't hurt anybody."

_That...sounds great._

Yunho wasn't sure what to get from the lack of enthusiasm in his brother's voice, but he kept the conversation going. "Considering the situation, it is. What about you? Are you doing good?"

There was a moment of silence before the answer came.

 _It's as good as it can get, you know?_ A heavy sigh came from the other end. _No one has come to get us yet, but we're still very careful. We only go out to work, or to buy food._

Yunho felt his gut twist into an ugly knot of guilt. He sank deeper into his mattress.

_Seonghwa hyung has been quieter than usual, and Hongjoong hyung stays in his room most of the time. Mingi hyung gets frustrated easily...he almost pulled his hair out once._

Yunho heard Jongho chuckle lightly, which put a grin on his face. But the moment didn't last long, and the knot was still there, tugging at Yunho's stomach.

"I'm sorry...I promise we will come back as soon as possible. It's still too early now, but we'll find a way to make a deal with the people in charge here."

 _Really?_ There was honest, genuine relief in Jongho's voice.

The knot loosened a little, only to tighten again when a deafening shout split Yunho's ear open.

_That's a lie! Jongho, don't tell me you actually believe him!_

Yunho recoiled instinctively to put some space between his ear and the receiver. The guilt in the pit of his stomach morphed into a mixture of dread, disbelief, and irritation. He recognized that voice to be Mingi's, and what he heard was a clear indication that he was placed on speaker without knowing beforehand.

For a short moment Yunho could only hear muffled noises.

_I'm sorry about that._

Yunho tightened the grip on his phone subconsciously as he brought it near to his ear again. "I was on speaker?" He tried to intone it as a question, but it likely came out sounding more like a statement.

 _I'm sorry._ Came the half-answer.

Yunho resisted the urge to sigh. "Give Mingi the phone."

_I don't think-_

Yunho didn't realize that his emotions has boiled down into a swirl of anger until he heard his own steely voice. "Give it to him or I'll call him myself."

There was a short pause, and then soft footsteps followed by the sound of wind hitting against the microphone.

_I assume you're doing great._

The acid in Mingi's voice was obvious even through the phone. "Think about what you say before you say it."

_Same goes for you, then. You have no idea what's going on over here. You didn't even call. You don't care. None of you care. You think you can do anything now, don't you? Now that you're in the good side of the government or whoever you're actually working with._

Yunho jumped off his bed in a fit of rage. He glared at the phone screen and battled with the impulse to hang up. Then he remembered what he told Seonghwa. He promised he would try his best to keep a good relationship with the members.

Yunho sucked in a few breaths of air. "I understand why you're mad. And I'm sorry. Sometimes I hate myself for leaving. For the _reason_ why I left. But I hope you realize it wasn't an easy choice for me. There's more than what you see, and it's better if you don't know everything."

Mingi scoffed. Yunho ran a palm down his face.

_Is that better than knowing nothing at all? Because that's how I feel right now. We never knew what happened to you in the building that day. We only know that you disappeared, and reappeared somewhere with the government. We don't know what you're going to do, we don't know if we'll ever go out there and stop crimes again, we don't know if we're safe here, and hell, we don't even know if whoever you're working with can still be trusted._

Exhaustion soon replaced the anger in Yunho's heart. He felt trapped.

"Please just keep staying put. If you don't do anything, no one is going to arrest you."

_As if that's not what we've been doing all along. Just saying, we wouldn't have to do that if it weren't for you._

Yunho felt his blood boil. He wanted to shout, scream, do whatever he needed to let out the heat, but the guilt in his heart didn't let him do it.

"Can you just give the phone back to Jongho?"

 _Sure, just neglect what you don't want to hear._ Yunho heard loud thumping footsteps. _I don't want to talk to you anyway._

"I wish I could tell you more. But I don't want to cause unnecessary conflict or worry." The footsteps stopped.

_And you think it's better to hide secrets from us so when we finally find out the 'conflict and worry' will be in one big chaotic burst?_

"I'm hoping we'll be together again if that has to happen."

 _It will happen. And no one knows if that's possible. It's just another other thing we don't know._ Mingi's voice was sour, but he breathed hard and bit back any other words he wanted to say.

 _Anyway, here you go._ Mingi said begrudgingly.

There was a short pause before Yunho heard Jongho's voice again.

_Hyung?_

"Hey." Yunho said warily.

 _I'm...Mingi is just frustrated...about a lot of things._ _Whatever he said, I'm sure he didn't really mean it._

"Thanks, and yea, I understand." It wasn't exactly an adequate response, but Yunho was too tired to find words. "I have to go soon."

_I trust you, hyung._

That was something Yunho should be happy about, yet his heart throbbed as he registered the words.

_I trust that you've made a good choice. I know a lot of us don't think the same, and sometimes I start to doubt myself too. But I get it. Everyone has a selfish part in them. It's just how it is. The important thing is I know you'll find a way to make everything better again, because that's just how you are._

_I know you won't ever hurt us._

Tears sprang into Yunho's eyes. He had to end the call before his voice breaks.

"Thank you," was all he managed.

_Goodbye._

A soft beep.

Then the room went silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a bit of a different style since most of it is just dialogue xp.
> 
> Yunho and Jongho has a really good relationship, but that doesn't help Yunho's guilt much. Will things get better from here? Or will it get even worse? (I hope you're intrigued!)


	21. Speculations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingi and Hongjoong go for a walk.

Jongho bit his lip so hard it might have bled. "Goodbye."

He placed down his phone on his desk soundlessly. His fingers felt as if they were permanently glued to his palms. They were so rigid and cold he could barely feel them.

"I'm going to talk to Hongjoong hyung." Mingi stared at the back of Jongho's head from the doorway.

Jongho turned his head around sharply. "And then what? Are you going to tell him that we should bring Yunho and the others back because you don't like staying incognito? Because you're bored out of your mind? Or is it because you're scared out of your wits?"

"Ya Choi Jongho! How dare you talk to me like that?!" Mingi raised his arm as if he was going to hit the younger, but he didn't make a move to walk closer.

Jongho winced at the noise, but glared back defiantly. "Go on. I know what you want to say. Just say it."

Mingi scoffed. He let his arm fall back to his side.

Jongho voiced out Mingi's thoughts. "You want to say that none of this would've happened if it weren't for Yunho." He lowered his voice, partly because it pained him to say it, and partly because he didn't want Hongjoong - who was outside reading - to hear them. Seonghwa was out buying groceries, so he didn't have to worry about him.

"Yea, so what?" Mingi replied with clear impertinence.

Jongho fought the urge to shout at his hyung, to force into Mingi's stubborn mind the message that it wasn't Yunho's fault. He had something more serious to say.

"Nothing has _happened_ yet. You're over exaggerating. Amplifying the tiniest bit of negativity you have and drowning in self-pity. You've been doing that for the past 5 days, getting frustrated whenever you get tired of feeling sorry for yourself."

Mingi was fuming. "You-"

Jongho ignored him and increased his volume. "You just want to find someone else to blame."

A loud wham made Jongho jump in his desk chair.

Mingi had punched the door frame. A piece of it fell off, leaving a dent in the wall and crumbs on the floor. The air flow in the room had grind down to a stop. There was barely any ventilation. Mingi breathed heavily and gave Jongho a hard stare. 

Jongho used silence as an answer. His intense expression made it obvious that he was using his powers.

"It's a waste of time and energy to talk to you." 

Jongho watched Mingi leave the room, then faced his desk again and buried his head into his crossed arms.

-

"Hyung, do you want to go for a walk?" 

Hongjoong nodded absently as he finished reading the sentence he was on. Then he closed the book and stood up.

"Sure."

Mingi was slightly taken aback by Hongjoong's easy-going reaction, especially since the leader had been closed off and largely unresponsive in his almost always locked room. 

The pair left the stuffy house in a flash and strolled along a mountain path that led into the woods. Loblolly pine trees lined the path, standing tall over shorter wild berry bushes and weeds sprouted in the cracks of bare rocks. 

The ground under their feet was soft and bare. They had to be the first one to trek through this mountain in a long time.

Hongjoong took a deep breath. "The air is so refreshing."

Mingi muttered a reply. He kicked the dirt underneath his foot, still thinking of how to bring up the topic.

No one said anything for a while, letting the soft ruffling of leaves and occasional chirps from birds fill up the silent between them.

After 15 minutes, the path opened up into a small clearing. The trees disappeared, and a field of grass and small flowers replaced the dense forest. The abrupt change of scene came as a pleasant surprise. 

Hongjoong sped up his pace and entered the field, closing his eyes to enjoy the sun's warmth on his skin. 

Mingi stood at the side and stifled a laugh. It was a rare occasion to see their dignified and solemn leader loosening up into a completely carefree and relaxed state. He joined Hongjoong and together they sat down on the soft ground.

"I don't want to read your mind, Mingi." Hongjoong said suddenly. His eyes were following a butterfly fluttering from flower to flower.

Mingi looked at his leader's side profile, realize he was serious, and chuckled. "It's weird how easily my emotions change according to my surroundings."

"It is fascinating." 

Hongjoong's voice sounded distant, and for a second Mingi thought he was only talking about the butterfly.

"I shouted at Jongho. I let it all out at him. It wasn't fair to him," Mingi confessed.

Mingi flushed in embarrassment and shame as he realized from Hongjoong's calm nod that his loud voice had exposed himself of his disgraceful behavior.

"You should apologize then," Hongjoong said matter-of-factly.

"I will," said Mingi. He said it out of guilt, but he wasn't sure if he could keep that promise. He shuffled in his spot and angled his body towards the leader. "But aren't you angry too? We can't do _anything_ now. And we don't even know what _actually_ happened to Yunho that day. We all assumed he was taken away against his will, but what if...what if he used that as an excuse to sneak away?"

Mingi shut his mouth immediately after the last syllable left his mouth. He let all his thoughts slip out between his lips, intentional or not. It shocked him how calm he was able to say something like that. To make something so horrible sound so normal.

If Hongjoong was appalled by Mingi's speculations, he didn't show it. "You don't have to look at me like that. Everyone must be allowed to air their ideas, even if they are misguided. I'm glad you finally got that out of your chest."

A gentle breeze swept up their bangs. Mingi pushed himself off of the ground. He didn't want else to say. He felt like none of his opinions would matter after hearing such a wise saying from Hongjoong.

"You're not the only one who think like that," Hongjoong continued. The wind carried his words straight into Mingi's ears. "But let me ask you something."

Mingi turned around, curiosity shining in his eyes.

"Are you afraid of your powers?"

The breeze died down. Mingi's bangs fell haphazardly on his forehead and a few strands were poking into his eyes. He shook his head to get rid of the hair, and then realized that he had already answered the question.

"Really?" Hongjoong raised his head to look at the clouds. "That's great for you, then."

Mingi tilted his head in confusion. He didn't know whether to take that as a sarcastic statement.

"Power makes people uneasy rather than joyful or boastful. That's why good people rarely rise to power," Hongjoong explained. He swatted a mosquito that landed on his arm and stood up. "Don't you think so?"

Mingi met eyes with Hongjoong and all of a sudden he felt intimidated. 

"I read that from a book."

Mingi didn't know how that made things better, but he relaxed a bit. "I guess so, but good people can be powerful too."

"Definitely. You and I are probably like that." Hongjoong placed a hand on Mingi's shoulder. "Yunho is a good person. I know you wouldn't even _think_ otherwise before things happened and changed everything. I agree with you on the fact that we don't know a lot of things, and I imagine a lot of worse case scenarios like you do. But we're fine _now_ , so let's focus on the next step before jumping to conclusions."

Mingi let down his guard for a split second and let his heart waver. But then he recalled the conversation he had with Yunho, and then the short one with Jongho, and remembered why he was angry in the first place.

Mingi shrugged off the hand on his shoulder. "I'm not jumping to conclusions. I'm _thinking ahead._ " Mingi shook his head. He couldn't believe that he was the only one who was being careful. _  
_

_"_ Why are you all so blinded? We are separated, _severed,_ because of the government. Nothing has happened _yet,_ but that doesn't mean nothing _will_ happen. What if Yunho and the others are only safe because the government _wants_ them to be? What if it's all a trick? To let our guard down and then put us all in jail or _kill_ us because they in fact hate our guts?" 

Mingi realized that he sounded a bit hysterical, but he didn't care. Hongjoong didn't either, because he heard something behind him and swiveled his body around so fast he got a bit dizzy. 

"What?" Mingi sounded both angry and worried. 

Hongjoong shushed Mingi and walked towards the bush that was behind him. Mingi followed after a minute of hesitation, placing his feet down softly by instinct. 

Hongjoong was inches from the bush when it shuffled again, making a loud and unsettling noise. The leader frowned.

In this short moment of confusion, a man emerged from the bush, startling the duo. They stumbled back and tried to make sense of what was going on. 

The man edged forward slowly, and Hongjoong realized a second too late the knife that was in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It looks like Mingi is really doubting Yunho...will Hongjoong manage to calm him?
> 
> What a sudden change of tone! Hongjoong and Mingi were having a serious conversation, but someone interrupted them. Who is it? Find out in the next chapter!


	22. Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong interrogates the person who attacked him and learn something he didn't want to know.

Mingi widened his eyes at the weapon in the stranger's gloved hand.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion as the perpetrator lunged at Hongjoong with his knife raised. Mingi could easily overpower the man, but having been caught off guard, his reflexes kicked in a moment too late.

Mingi heard a groan as Hongjoong fell to the ground, but the surge of adrenaline pushed him away from his friend and towards the attacker instead. He landed a hard punch on the masked face - acting purely on instincts - and dodged the knife coming right at his guts.

The man landed back first on the floor and moaned, but he got up quicker than Mingi expected and rushed in blindly for another attack.

This time Mingi was prepared and it was almost as if he could sense every movement the enemy was going to make. The man raised his leg to kick Mingi's shins, using it as a distraction as he aimed the knife at the Mingi's throat. Without looking, Mingi used his feet to intercept the kick as his eyes focused on the weapon and his right hand seized the man's wrist, twisting it with so much force the knife flew off the hand and fell to the ground a few feet away.

Mingi ignored the man's screams and twisted his arm and body to pin it onto his back. Mingi had nothing to restrain the perpetrator's hands, so he secured them with one of his hands and gripped hard with his fingers. The man struggled and whimpered in pain, but he was no match for Mingi's superhuman strength.

"Are you ok? Where are you hurt?" Mingi turned around to check on Hongjoong. He wasn't sweating at all, but his heart raced a million miles per hour - not from exertion from the short fight, but because of slight panic that his leader was wounded, and dismay from not being able to protect the other.

Hongjoong sat up and winced. "I'm ok. It's a deep cut, but nothing lethal." He pressed his good hand on the wounded arm. Blood was seeping through the fingers, staining his skin and dripping onto the green grass.

Mingi stifled a gasp and subconsciously tightened his grip on the stranger's hands. He wasn't afraid of blood, but he had never seen so much coming out from one wound, and the sight of it unsettled him.

"It's bleeding, a lot," said Mingi, a bit unhelpfully.

"I can walk back. Seonghwa could help me take care of this. He's a certified first-aider." Hongjoong began to stand up, but it was a difficult task without his hands, so Mingi used his free hand to pull Hongjoong up by his good arm.

"Yea, you should go quick." Mingi eyed the stranger behind him. "I'll...um, bring him back?"

Hongjoong hardened his gaze. "Yes, we have a few questions to ask him."

-

Back in the house, Seonghwa - who just came back from the grocery store when Hongjoong rushed in with blood dripping all over the place - immediately freed up his hands and found the first aid kit to help Hongjoong.

Jongho walked out his room just in time to see Mingi dragging a half conscious man through the front door. He rushed to help, wanting to ask questions but felt awkward from their quarrel in the morning.

Once the perpetrator was tied up tightly in a chair and everyone was reasonably calmed down, Mingi relayed what happened from start to finish, only leaving out the parts where he talked about Yunho.

Hongjoong could tell from everyone's jittery movements that no one was comfortable with a stranger sitting at the same table as them, so he began the interrogation and hoped that it would end quickly with the help of his mind-reading skills.

"Hey," Hongjoong said, poking the man's head with his good hand. The cap and mask were removed to reveal his face, but no one recognized him. "Who are you, and why did you attack us? Answer us truthfully and you'll get out of here alive."

That was just an empty threat and anyone who knew Hongjoong would know that. No one in _Alternare_ would kill someone intentionally.

The man looked up. He had a really generic face, the kind you would think looked familiar even though you've never met before. The only distinguishable feature was the piercing on his left eyebrow.

"My wallet is in my inner jacket pocket," he mumbled.

Hongjoong shared a surprise glance with his teammates. The man didn't look scared at all, so he clearly wasn't threatened by what Hongjoong said. Why did he give in so easily?

Mingi took the wallet from the man and looked for an ID. Instead of a Korean citizen ID, he found an employee ID and placed it on the table.

The card was white and blue and had a photo of the man printed in the center. A logo on the top right corner showed that he worked for the government, and other details were underneath the photo.

_Name: Eun Dong guen_   
_Position: Agent_

"I knew it _,"_ said Mingi. "Who else would do this to us?"

Hongjoong ignored him and asked Dongguen again, "Why did you attack us, did someone send you?"

Dongguen surveyed the members coolly, but didn't answer.

Mingi lost his patience quickly and stood up, his arm raised, ready to do this physically.

Seonghwa gave him a sharp look. "Calm down, we don't have to use unnecessary force." He nodded his head towards Hongjoong and lowered his voice into a harsh whisper. "Hongjoong can read his mind."

As if only just making that connection, Mingi nodded and sat down.

Hongjoong repeated his question. "Who sent you?" It wasn't the only question he had, especially since he found it really suspicious that the man worked alone. One normal versus two people with superpowers? That did not sound reasonable at all. Despite the abnormalities, Hongjoong needed to repeat one question until Dongguen subconsciously thought of the answer.

Dongguen smirked. "I know more than you think I do. You're a mind reader."

"Oh really?" Hongjoong pressed his lips together to suppress a smile of his own. No one realized what was going on, and the other three members were staring intensely at Dongguen, feeling dreadful from not being able to do anything. Only Hongjoong knew he was inside Dongguen's mind now, and he was about to get his answer.

"Who's behind all of this?" Hongjoong prompted, trying to sound natural as he focused his mind elsewhere.

_It's not the government, you idiots._

Hongjoong almost gave it away by widening his eyes, but he was putting on a poker face, his rigid muscles making his eyelid do no more than twitch.

Hongjoong bit his inner cheek. He knew the answer was coming and he was ready to grasp it the moment it formulated inside Dongguen's head.

But he definitely wasn't prepared for the context of the answer, nor the shock and disbelief that came with it.

_It's one of you teammates, Jeong Yunho._

Hongjoong pulled away from Dongguen's mind as if he got burned by fire. His whole body froze, save for his trembling pupils and quivering lips.

Seonghwa, Jongho, and Mingi noticed their leader's reaction and immediately shared worried glances.

Dongguen didn't take long to grasp the situation and he responded with a smug smile.

"Untie him." Hongjoong's voice was barely audible.

"Wha-" Mingi started.

"Make him go away," said Hongjoong. This time he hardened his voice and made himself loud and clear.

Mingi sighed, but it was Jongho who did the job. Once Dongguen was free, he picked up his wallet and ID and walked towards the door.

Dongguen turned around, holding the doorknob. "You have the powers, but you don't seem to have the brains."

Hongjoong was shaking so hard Seonghwa was starting to feel the table vibrate. He reached his hand out to help the leader, but rebounded when Hongjoong shot up like an arrow and strode up to Dongguen.

"It's not Yunho. You're lying. Yunho would never do that. Get out. now, you bastard, before you get to see what people with powers but no brains can do." Hongjoong spat those words out, as if they had been stuck in his throat for so long it was the only way to get rid of them.

Behind him, Seonghwa, Jongho, and Mingi gasped and stood up, shaken with apprehension. Fear and dread is reflected on all of their eyes as they watched Dongguen leave.

"What-"

"He-"

"Did you-"

Everyone started stammering all at once, wondering if they had heard correctly. But Hongjoong simply lowered his head and trudged back into his room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It sounds like Yunho might be a traitor...but it's totally up to you if you want to trust Dongguen! Things will definitely become even more tense between the two groups now!


	23. Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunho receives a difficult mission from Kim.

_6 days after separating_

Yunho woke up to a incessant whir of vibrations coming from his phone. He stretched his arm towards where his bedside table would be and groped blindly in the dark. The digital clock read 2:27am.

Muttering a curse, he fumbled for the power button and squinted his eyes at the burst of artificial light. 

_25 missed calls from **Tiny Apple**_

The screen faded away to sleep mode just as the number rose to 26. Yunho switched his phone on again, stared at the missed calls notification until it disappears, and then repeated the process a few times. 

His other hand was motionless under the warm covers, battling with the obligation to call his brother back. There were no messages, just calls that kept piling up. Which meant it had to be important. 

Maybe it was the draft inclining him to curl back under the thick blanket, maybe it was his eyelids laden with fatigue and threatening to fall shut, or maybe it was the memory of the awkward encounter with Mingi last time that made him hesitate. Yunho didn't want to know. He placed his phone back onto the table and went back to sleep.

-

"Maybe we should try to persuade the others to come," Wooyoung said. Wooyoung, Yeosang, and San were outside, deciding where to go. They were given a holiday, which came as a pleasant surprise to everyone.

"Wait, where's Yunho?" asked San. He didn't work in the lab most of the time, so he was often clueless about his friends' schedule.

"He went to talk to Kim," Wooyoung replied. "Probably about his training. I heard he still has a lot of room for improvement, though he refuses to talk about it and insists that we go have fun first." 

"Kind of hard to do that." San took out his phone, only to put it away again after seeing an empty notification wall. "I was keeping in contact with Mingi, but I think he got angry or something. He's not replying my messages." 

San faced his friends with a sudden surge of irrational panic. "You don't think something happened, right?"

"Don't be silly," said Wooyoung. "The worst that could happen is that they get arrested. But..." Wooyoung stopped himself before he could say more, because the more he talked, the more he found himself worrying. "They would've found a way to contact us if anything did happen. Right, Yeosang?" 

"Yea." Yeosang smiled. No one saw him hide his frown. 

"So, should we go visit the others?" asked Wooyoung. "We can at least try to tell them how it's like to be here."

"Do you still not understand? Hongjoong hyung and Seonghwa hyung wants to protect the group's name. Even if they think it's safe to work here, they won't want to." San looked at Yeosang for confirmation.

"We can still check on them." Yeosang took out his phone and opened a maps app. "What's the address?"

-

Yunho was offered a seat in the plush office, but he stayed standing in front of the large desk.

"This is not what we agreed on," Yunho hissed. He stared down at Kim, who was writing something on a piece of paper.

"What did we agree on, exactly?" Kim replied, her condescending tone setting Yunho on edge. 

"You know very clearly." Yunho tried to sound intimidating, but he was pretty sure it had no effect on the person in front of him, who was still looking down at the paper as if Yunho was invisible. "And it does _not_ include going to our second base and bringing Seonghwa back."

Kim finally broke away from the paper, but instead of lifting her head all the way up she moved her pupils and glanced upwards at Yunho. "I didn't say anything about _bringing_ someone back. All I'm saying is that you should persuade the clairvoyant to join us. It would much easier to complete missions. Less hectic. The teleporter wouldn't have to work as much if we know where to go before the crime gets there."

Yunho opened his mouth, but hesitation blocked the words from coming out. Kim looked down again, pleased at herself for finding the weak point. 

Yunho imagined slapping himself and the stinging sensation on his cheeks. He rekindled the flame in his heart. "I've done enough. I never meant for my friends to follow me. The people already here came here by their own will. We...They are doing well. Yeosang helped detectives solve a lot of cases, didn't he? Wooyoung brought reinforcements wherever they are needed within seconds. San-"

"That's enough." Kim dropped her pen. It landed with a clunk. She looked up with stern eyes. Yunho looked back with fierce ones. Then she sighed, as if disappointed. "There's an easy way and a hard way to do this. I didn't have to ask you. I just thought it would be easier if you were the one to talk. You're teammates." 

The reality of the situation kicked in. Looking at Kim's brown pupils, Yunho realized for the first time how cold and soulless they were. 

"You'll have until tonight to decide," Kim said. But Yunho wasn't listening. He couldn't stop thinking that he should've known from the first time they met, how hollow those eyes were.

"I have to go somewhere." Kim inserted the paper she was writing on into a fat folder. "Enjoy your holiday." Devoid of emotions, just like her eyes.

Yunho didn't move, not even when Kim went around the desk and towards the door. He heard the door click open.

"I'll do it." He gritted his teeth. "I'm going. So don't do anything to them."

Kim held open the door. She nodded curtly, but Yunho couldn't have seen it.

After a short moment, Yunho heard the thud of the door closing. He trudged to the nearest armchair behind him and sat down.

Maybe he should've ran away. But he still couldn't decide which one was better, now that he knew how Mingi felt.

_I woke up in a soft bed. Nothing like the hard, scorching concrete floor I blacked out on. Someone shot me, I remember. I was looking for survivors in a burning building._

_I sat up and felt a slight ache on my right shoulder. The sensation was pulsating. It had to be almost healed.  
_

_I looked around. A bedroom, but not mine. I panicked. Flung away the blankets and jumped off the bed. I didn't know where I was, but I had to go back to my teammates. I had to find them. The door opened. I spun around. My heartbeat quickened. I think something was moving next to me. I wasn't sure. I wasn't in control. My powers were acting on their own to protect me.  
_

_But nothing flew towards the person who opened the door. I recognized her. Kim._

_"Hi." She smiled, didn't even look at the lamp floating above the bedside table. "We want to help you."_

_I hesitated for a long time, but I think I sat down again. I wanted to give it a try._

_Kim told me where I was and what would happen to me. She told me how things worked here. I thanked her._

_Then her smile was gone and I saw a glint of wild ambition in her eyes. "Tell your friends about this place. It's not too bad, is it?"_

_Panic settled in again. Little by little, but accumulating fast. "But-"_

_"We only want half. We're not greedy. We know we can't get everything. Do it nicely and we won't bother any of you. Whether you're with us or not."  
_

_I wanted to get up, but a strong hand on my shoulder stopped me. When did she put her hand there?_

_I saw her smile again and realized what had happened.  
_

_I sat back down. I could've ran away easily but I didn't. The lamp was back on the table and I didn't even glance at the door._

_I have already decided._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yunho's secret is a big one, and no one knows it yet. This decision makes him look like a traitor to the team, but he hasn't done anything to betray his friends, and he's trying not to bother the rest of the team still hiding in their other base. Which side will he be on?


	24. Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wooyoung, Yeosang, and San visits Hongjoong and the others.

Seonghwa's whole body tensed when he heard a knock. He peeked out the kitchen door and saw Jongho standing up, staring at the door anxiously. Hongjoong and Mingi were sleeping in, still traumatized from their incident.

"I'll get it," said Jongho. He traipsed to the door and looked through the peephole, then consulted Seonghwa with a mixed expression of relief, confusion, and surprise. "It's Wooyoung, Yeosang, and San." 

The knocks came again. Seonghwa frowned but motioned Jongho to open the door. 

Wooyoung entered first and gave Jongho a hug. "I'm glad you're fine!" 

San saw Jongho's questioning look and explained, "Mingi isn't answering my texts, so we started to worry. We came to check on you since we don't have to work today."

An uncomfortable silence fell upon Seonghwa and Jongho at the mention of Mingi. Jongho looked to Seonghwa for help.

"Is something wrong?" asked Yeosang. 

Seonghwa felt an invisible weight pulling him down. Things were happening one after the other with no rest in between, and the timing couldn't be any worse. Screaming sounded very tempting right then, but it wouldn't help anything, and it would only scare the younger members who were waiting for an answer.

Seonghwa told everyone to sit down in the living room and went to get Hongjoong and Mingi. They had woken up from the commotion was feeling a bit moody, so when they saw almost all of the members sitting on the couch, memories from the day before flooded into their heads and they nearly lost all control over their emotions.

"I can't believe you still have the audacity to come here," Mingi said, ignoring Seonghwa's efforts to calm him. 

San stared at Mingi blankly, trying in vain to understand the situation. Wooyoung wanted to shout back, feeling hurt and offended from being yelled at without knowing why. Yeosang's attention was on Hongjoong's bandaged arm. 

"Mingi, _please_." Seonghwa pleaded, "Give them a chance to understand before you let out all your anger onto them." 

Hongjoong couldn't meet eyes with any one of the three members who were visiting. Jongho stood up from the couch. He didn't feel comfortable sitting anymore. 

"Where's Yunho?" Mingi raised his voice, and San recoiled.

"He didn't want to see such an unreasonable person." Wooyoung just wanted to fight back, but he wouldn't have known how much his words meant to Mingi. 

Seonghwa cringed. Jongho's eyes darted back and forth between Mingi and Wooyoung, his heart thumping in anticipation of an argument that he wouldn't have any control over. 

"So _I'm_ unreasonable." Mingi scoffed, incredulous. His hands were on his hip. His eyes were moving around, too angry to stay focused on one place. His lips were parted but no words came out, his mind too occupied with rage to form sentences. 

Hongjoong finally faced the couch. As a leader, it was in him to settle things, no matter how hard it was. 

"We got attacked by someone working for the government. He said he received orders from Yunho."

The members on the couch took a moment to let that sink in. Jongho's eyes brimmed with tears.

"That's impossible," said San quietly. 

"Well it is now, because it actually happened, and the person who attacked us said so himself." Mingi sounded worn out from his outburst. 

"How could you just believe him?" Wooyoung stood up, pushed his chest out. "If you think about it for even a second, you would realize it doesn't make any sense!"

"Then why isn't Yunho here, huh? He's hiding!" Mingi's shouts shook the windows, as if even his voice was more powerful than normal humans. 

"Stop shouting." The leader spoke up. "This won't solve any problems." Hongjoong looked at Wooyoung. "Go get Yunho. I don't care what he's doing. You know where he is. I'm getting to the bottom of this." 

Wooyoung put on a defiant look, but Hongjoong's voice left no room for argument. He disappeared.

Yunho was still sitting in Kim's office. He was so surprised by Wooyoung's appearance everything in the room floated for one second before falling back down with loud thuds. 

Wooyoung took Yunho's hands. "I'm bringing you to our second base. No time to explain."

"Wai-" Yunho tried to shake off Wooyoung's hand, but they were already back in the house with the rest of the group before Yunho could finish the word. 

Yunho looked around him. His eyes stopped on Jongho. His heart squeezed in pain when he saw the tears and disappointment in his brother's eyes. But he didn't even get a chance to say anything before a hard punch landed on the side of his face. 

Yunho was knocked over, his red cheek throbbing with pain. 

"Hyung!" Jongho rushed to his brother. Wooyoung, Yeosang, and San followed, kneeling next to Yunho.

Seonghwa and Hongjoong held Mingi's arms. 

"Have you lost your mind?" Hongjoong shouted. 

Mingi shook loose - an easy task for someone with super strength - and stormed into his room. Hongjoong followed, but Seonghwa was frozen on the spot. 

A cloud blocked the sun and the room dimmed in the shade. Seonghwa felt the warmth leave his body, replaced by dread that slowly morphed into fear. Dread because the group was torn apart. Fear because what he was looking at was only the beginning. There would be more in the future, because he knew his visions never lied. 

"I didn't do anything!" Yunho shouted, loud enough to be heard by Mingi. 

A door slammed opened and Mingi came out again, just as Yunho pulled himself off the floor. Hongjoong was behind Mingi, but he couldn't stop him.

Mingi strode up to Yunho and made a move to grab his collar, but Wooyoung reacted quickly. He touched Yunho's arm and teleported them both to the opposite corner of the room before Mingi could reach Yunho.

Mingi caught air and stumbled to regain his balance. Someone slapped him and he finally came to his senses. He was guided to the couch.

Yunho saw Seonghwa's blank face and walked towards him. "Are you okay?"

Seonghwa broke out of his trance and smiled weakly. "I should be the one asking you." He looked at Yunho's cheek. "Let me get some cream for that." He left without waiting for a reply. 

Yunho turned towards Mingi. "Let's talk." 

Seonghwa hadn't returned with the cream yet, but Yunho stepped outside the house despite the others' protests.

Mingi followed begrudgingly.

"I don't know what makes you believe that I hired someone to hurt you, and I don't care. I don't care if you hate me because of that. But I do care that you're making a mess. Everyone is upset now because of you. Do you even know if everyone agrees with you?" Yunho thought about Jongho crying. "Because I don't think so."

"You wouldn't know that." Mingi's voice lost its menace.

"You're right. I wouldn't. But you would if you'd listened to them before picking a fight and freaking everybody out."

Mingi didn't say anything to counter Yunho. He looked down at his feet.

"I'll find out what happened." 

Mingi raised his head. "You're still going back? After all this?" There was a hint of criticism in his tone, but Yunho wasn't offended.

"I have to." _You'll get arrested otherwise_ _._ "I'll come back when I know what happened." Yunho didn't mention about his mission to recruit Seonghwa. The task seemed impossible now.

Mingi still looked doubtful, even suspicious. But he nodded. 

Yunho waited, hoping to get at least an apology. Seonghwa peeked his head out the door before it happened.

"Let me help you put some cream on."

Yunho gave Mingi one last wishful look before entering the house. Mingi stayed outside.

"I'm sorry about what happened," said Hongjoong.

"I'm sorry about what happened too," replied Yunho. "I was promised that you're safe as long as you keep staying low. I'm angry too. But I'll find out why this happened." He winced as Seonghwa touched his swollen cheek. Mingi's strength couldn't be underestimated.

"I never thought I would say this, but you should go back. We need some space until we figure this all out."

Wooyoung, Yeosang, San, and Yunho agreed with Hongjoong's suggestion. They teleported back to the headquarters.

Hongjoong hid in his room for the rest of the day. He trusted Yunho, but it didn't made sense that the government would only send one person just to hurt them. Hongjoong wondered what these two pieces of information implied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luckily the other members stopped Mingi before a bigger fight can break out. There's definitely something very fishy going on with the government, but will they find out what?


	25. Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunho finds Kim to look for answers, but ended up having to make a difficult decision.

Yunho barged into Kim's office without knocking. He came alone, knowing Kim would just use his friends - target his weakness - to get the upper hand.

Kim merely glanced up from her laptop, as if people randomly rush into her room on a daily basis.

Yunho took big strides past the startled guests sitting on the leather couches and went straight up the woman behind the desk. For a second he was just standing there, ears red with anger, wondering what he needed to say to get his message through to a heartless person.

"You sent someone to hurt my friends. _You_ did it." Yunho had to force the words out. They were filled with venom and hatred, but only bitterness was left inside his mouth. 

Kim sighed, looked past Yunho to her guests, and gestured for them to leave. When the door closed, she said, "What would you do if I did?"

"I'm not asking if you did it. I _know_ you did it."

Yunho couldn't believe it when she saw a smile play on Kim's lips. She found this amusing. "Okay, detective. I'm just doing my job." 

"Your job?!" cried Yunho. "Is it your job to hurt people?"

Kim frowned. Yunho could tell she was upset, maybe offended, but that wasn't enough for him. He wasn't leaving until he got a reasonable explanation. 

"I'm one person working among hundreds of others. Do you think I know everything? I'm just doing everything within my ability in order to finish the task my boss has given me." 

Yunho stared down at Kim, trying to find even a hint of remorse, guilt, or shame in that stony face. But there was only indifference. Perhaps even annoyance, that she was being scolded by a person with no status.

There were so many ugly things Yunho wanted to say. So many words and phrases inside his lungs that were making it hard to breathe. But he wasn't here to waste time. "What's your task, then?"

"What I told you yesterday." Kim stood up, tried to regain some dignity. To show that she was in charge. "We want a clairvoyant." 

"He has a name. It's Seonghwa." Yunho wasn't afraid of Kim. She was just a normal person. He had powers. "We're not assets." 

Kim didn't say anything. She didn't show her assent, but she didn't object either.

Yunho kept going. "I already told you I'm going. Why did you have to do this to ruin things? Seonghwa will never come now. Why would he go to people who tried to hurt them?!"

Kim frowned. Her judgemental glare betrayed her thoughts. _Quiet down. You're too loud._ But she didn't voice out her thoughts. She didn't say anything. 

Something smashed against the wall. A high pitched whine of glass shattering. Hard thumps as pieces land on the carpet. Both of their ears rang from the noise, but neither one was fazed. Or at least they were pretending to be calm. 

"Breaking my lamp doesn't help you."

Yunho's breaths were heavy. Breaking the lamp without touching it wasn't hard. Controlling himself - holding himself back from doing more damage - was harder. 

"You know what I have to do if you don't bring us what we want. It's not a fun job. Arresting people is a lot more than putting them in handcuffs. And I'm sure you're smart enough to know running isn't an option."

The breathing slowed down. Yunho had power. But not the right kind.

"I know what you're thinking. But we're not the bad guys. I'm just trying to help you and your group. If we cooperate well, you can go back to doing what you like. With all 8 members."

Yunho bit his lip. His heart and mind was torn by the decision he had to make. He couldn't let the influx of emotions overrule his logical thinking, but he couldn't let rationality take away his basic morals of being a human and a friend. Which one should he choose? Did it matter? After all, he had already made one decision by staying here. And it had since defined what kind of path he was on. 

"Well? What's your answer? Can I trust you to do what you have to do, or do I have to make preparations?" 

Yunho forced his muscles to relax. He displayed a look of resilience, but hid his insides. The part that was breaking apart. "Give me time. At least for them to calm down from the incident."

Kim looked like she might sigh, but sat down instead. She had made her point clear. She didn't have to stand to show what authority she had. "You have time. But let me tell you one thing. The sooner you bring him here, the sooner you'll be able to help in the police force."

Yunho scoffed. " That doesn't help me. Wooyoung, San, and Yeosang are already helping in some way or the other. I'm just not confident enough yet."

"I'm talking about _all_ of you," said Kim tersely. She got the answer she wanted and the conversation no longer interested her, so she returned to flipping the documents on her desk.

Yunho narrowed his eyes. That was definitely too good to be true. "Is this some kind of trick? You're making it sound to so nice, but we'll all be under someone else's control. We'll be told what to do. When to do it. How to do it. That's not us." He didn't know why he was explaining their group's ethics to someone who would never have the heart to understand, but he felt the need to do it. 

The busy woman ignored Yunho. "Something big is planned for you. But you have to prove you can follow orders." She flipped another page.

Yunho's eye twitched. "What do you mean you have something planned? Are you going to arrange a huge crime just to let us work?" Then something clicked in his head, and he didn't think twice before saying it. "Oh. I see. You're going to arrange everything to make it look like the police is finally bringing commendable service to the citizens."

"Your opinion and speculations are none of my business. But it's your choice whether to believe in us or not. And if I'm not mistaken, you've already made that choice." The flipping continued. "Now, if you have no more questions, please leave. I still have to continue the meeting you interrupted."

Yunho licked his lips, gave Kim a long hard stare, and then stormed away. 

Wooyoung, Yeosang, and San were waiting in their living quarters. "What did she say?" asked Wooyoung. 

The lie came naturally. 

"He was an agent gone rogue. He hated us."

Yunho couldn't bring himself to admit that he was using the three friends in front of him to his advantage. They were stuck here partly because of him - but no one knew the dire situation they were in except for Yunho - so he would keep it to himself. 

"So that's why he was alone," said San. 

Wooyoung punched the air, incredulous that one selfish person caused so much damage. 

Only Yeosang seemed disappointed or underwhelmed by the answer. "Are you sure she's not lying?"

"Why would she lie?" Yunho didn't let himself get flustered. "She didn't deny it. She admitted it was their fault. For not looking after her employees."

"Exactly." Wooyoung nodded to himself. "What happened to him?"

"He probably ran away." 

"Another problem solved. We just have to explain it to Mingi now. He had no right to accuse you." San scrunched up his face as he recalled their visit just hours ago. 

Yunho smiled weakly. "I think I'm going to get some rest. It's been a long day for me."

****  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a long day indeed. Yunho thought he didn't really have a choice but to follow Kim's orders until he regained freedom for the whole team. How will things play out when different people in the same team knows different things?


	26. Notebook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa shows his teammates some notes about his vision.

_One week after separating_

Mingi didn't show up at the breakfast table, but no one questioned why. Yesterday night, Seonghwa received a phone call from Yeosang, who explained why Mingi and Hongjoong were attacked and thereby proved Yunho to be innocent. When Mingi learnt about this, he went into his room and never came out since.

"Should I call Mingi?" Jongho suggested. 

"Just leave him be." Seonghwa was already digging a spoon into his bowl of rice. "He needs time for himself."

"He needs to apologize to Yunho." That came out harsher than intended. Jongho took a sip of his coffee.

Hongjoong shakily raised a spoonful of soup to his lips. He went to a hospital to get proper treatment, and now his dominant right arm was bandaged and resting on the table. He sipped loudly.

"He does, but let's wait until he's prepared. There's no point if the apology is not genuine."

Jongho took another sip of his coffee and set the mug down a bit harder than he had to. Then he lifted his chopsticks and started eating. Chewing would keep his mouth busy.

"There's just something I've been thinking about." Hongjoong placed down his spoon gently. "Why did the rogue agent say it was Yunho who hired him?"

Jongho's mouth slowed down.

"If he hates us, shouldn't he be telling us who he is? You know, I expected him to be a hubris if he wants to kill us so much," explained Hongjoong.

"I see where you're coming from," said Seonghwa, without stating his standpoint.

Jongho swallowed. "You're saying Yeosang's lying." He intended to say it like he was unsure, but it came out more accusatory than anything.

Seonghwa felt another headache coming. "We don't know anything yet. Hongjoong is just telling you what he thinks."

"Ok. Then let me tell you what I think. Yeosang will never lie, unless he thinks it is absolutely necessary. And Yunho did nothing wrong. So Mingi should apologize, before the tension between us grows any bigger."

Jongho met eyes with Hongjoong. Neither of them showed any signs of backing up.

"Not so early in the morning, please." Seonghwa felt his control slipping away, emotions starting to leak out through his words and expressions.

Hongjoong wipes his mouth with a napkin. "It's about time we stop pretending we're fine about having half of the group working for another organization. They are clearly hiding something."

"Who?" asked Jongho, not exactly in a nice way.

"All of them." Hongjoong shifted his gaze from Jongho to Seonghwa.

"You never trusted them once," said Jongho. "Why? Why can't you just accept the fact that they are doing fine - better than us hiding away - and that maybe they've been right all along?"

"Because humans are complicated."

Hongjoong's answer was unlike anything Seonghwa and Jongho expected.

But that didn't stop Jongho from stressing his point. "Yunho's not complicated. All he wants is for us to be safe. He stayed there because he didn't want to drag us down further!" He instantly went teary as he said that. He hadn't let himself feel until now just how much it hurt to be separated from his brother knowing Yunho was only doing it for the group's benefit. He just didn't know to what extent.

Hongjoong's left hand found the ear of his mug and held onto it. "There are different ways you can see this, Jongho." He was about to argue with the maknae, but anyone could tell from the strain in his voice that he found it hard to get the words out. "We're not exactly doing the best here. What exactly is he protecting us from? Himself? Or the government?"

Jongho pursed his lips.

"We got attacked. It doesn't matter why. The point is...he knows this and still thinks he has to stay away from us. He barely explained anything. We don't know what he is doing. Don't you think that's a bit selfish?"

Jongho knew generally what he was going to hear and braced himself for it, but that clearly wasn't enough to contain his vicious emotions.

"Take that back." Jongho's stared at Hongjoong, eyes filled with menace. 

"You can't just keep pro-"

"Yunho's _not_ selfish! He's the opposite of that!" Jongho stood up, his chair crashed onto the floor, the noise almost as loud as his own voice.

Mingi walked out his room due to the commotion, but no one addressed his presence. He felt like slipping back into his room unnoticed, but his body was infused with the tension emanating from Jongho and Hongjoong's silent glares, and he couldn't bring himself to move.

The situation had long gone out of hand, but it was only now when Seonghwa finally let himself speak up. He always thought it pointless to cut in when he had no helpful or practical solution to offer, but the wrenching pain in his heart was a sign that he could no longer keep his mouth shut. 

"Stop! Get a grip of yourself. Do you even realize who you're talking to?" Seonghwa shifted his gaze from Jongho to Hongjoong. Do you really want my vision to come true? Do you really want to start a war between us?"

The rhetorical questions served their purpose. Jongho and Hongjoong's eyes softened.

"Yunho's not the problem. We're not enemies of each other. So stop making it look like that." Seonghwa paused, his natural instinct to keep a secret stopping him from saying more. But he felt three pairs of eyes probing silently for an answer that would fix everything, and though he wasn't sure if he could provide that, he understood he had something close - something no one else but him would know.

"The government is trying to tear us apart. Taking away half of us was the first step. The agent who attacked you...was probably another step." 

"Where is this coming from?" asked Jongho. Hongjoong didn't look surprised at all, which was to be fair considering how he felt about the government from the very beginning.

"Wait here." Seonghwa stood up after the ominous statement, disappeared into the hallway and came back with a small notebook in his hand.

Jongho stifled a gasp as the memory flooded into his brain. _The notepad._ He remembered everything he told Yunho.

_"The one he records all his visions in? He was staring at the same page the whole trip. He grabbed it with so much force the sides of the paper crumpled. He never moved once, not even to stretch his neck. I had to remind him to get off the car when we arrived."_

Seonghwa pretended not to see the shock on Jongho's face and flipped open his notebook. He opened his mouth, but closed it again almost instantly as his pupils danced across the page. After a moment of hesitation, he handed the notebook to Hongjoong.

Jongho and Mingi were curious, but their feet stayed rooted in ground. Did they _really_ want to know what was on that page?

Hongjoong scanned the page, unaware of his trembling hands. No one touched Seonghwa's notebook before, let alone read its contents. It felt unnaturally heavy in between Hongjoong's fingers.

_9 Apr 20XX_

_What: Fighting. Battle. Superpowers. It's us._ **_We're_ ** _fighting._ _  
When: ??? (Nighttime)_ _  
Where:_ _Harbour (shipping containers)_ _  
Why: Smuggling? // Why are we fighting? What happened?  
Other details: Blue guns, men in suits. A lot of metal. Blue fire? Ice. Cracks on the ground. Did we make those? _ _  
Flashes: Wooyoung hiding behind a blue container. San on the ground. Yunho in the air. Jongho inside a shield._

_It has to be something about the government._

Hongjoong looked up from the notebook, but he couldn't bear to stare and put pressure onto Seonghwa. So his eyes settled on their unfinished breakfast on the table instead, as he closed the book absently.

"So let me get this straight," said Hongjoong. The closed notebook was still in his hand, but his arm was hanging by his side, as if he wanted to put as much distance between it and himself as possible.

"Somehow we're going to end up in a harbor, or a place with a lot shipment containers, and when we get there we're going to fight..." He stopped himself before he could say it. "...with our powers."

Seonghwa gave him a sullen nod. "There's a crime involved too. Otherwise I wouldn't even have a vision."

It was true that Seonghwa had a limited superpower. He could only "see" future events related to crimes and injustice, and only when he was "given" them by means of a vision.

Hongjoong might be patient and tender when it came to the oldest member of the group, but Jongho couldn't ignore the bugging question at the back of his skull. He remembered what he saw in the taxi - it felt like ages ago now - and understood now why Seonghwa looked to anxious with the crumpled notebook in his hand.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Jongho couldn't help but think that Yunho wouldn't have to be blamed if Seonghwa would've said something earlier.

Seonghwa averted his gaze, but he couldn't decide on a spot to stay on, so his pupils flitted nervously inside their sockets.

"Jongho, that's not important right now." Hongjoong wanted to know the answer too, but he kept his priorities in mind.

"It's ok," said Seonghwa. "I'll have to say it eventually, anyway." His eyes were now moving between the three members in front of him, but the slight tremble of his pupils reflected his struggle to hold eye contact.

"The first vision was really vague. I simply pretended I made a mistake, even though I was pretty sure I saw Yunho. Then the other details came in flashes. Those were very quick too, but it isn't hard to imagine the big picture once I have some pieces."

Seonghwa paused. Guilt was making it very hard to speak. "That's only part of the reason. I guess...I _was_ scared. I kept doubting myself, afraid that saying anything would worsen the outcome. So I tried to be subtle when I give out warnings. But-"

"But it was going to happen anyway." Hongjoong finished the sentence. "Don't blame yourself. It must've been painful to keep everything a secret."

Seonghwa smiled sadly. "I still don't know what the triggering point is."

"Wait, are you sure we're going to fight each other? You said you saw other men too." asked Mingi.

"And the blue guns. Aren't they the ones that can stop us from using our powers?" Jongho added, shuddering at the frightening memory.

"Yes, but..." Seonghwa looked at Jongho's hopeful expression and felt a squeezing sensation in his chest. Suddenly he wanted to lie, just so he didn't have to replace that face with a disappointing one. "I can't be sure. I never saw the whole scene. Just one part of it each time."

"But it doesn't really matter right? All we have to do is not go. If we're not there, nothing can happen." Mingi's suggestion was so simple and straightforward that everyone fell silent as they gave it some consideration. But it didn't take long for them to realize the foolishness of that idea.

"You know we can't just avoid it from happening. Even if we managed to prevent it once, we'll eventually have to face it again." 

Seonghwa had just finished explaining when they heard rapping on the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally find out what Seonghwa's vision was and why he was so worried since the beginning of this story, but whether it'll actually help is another big question. Just hang on a little longer, because there will be a lot of action-packed chapters coming soon!
> 
> Thank you for reading up till now! I know it's a long story hehe


	27. Differences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunho visits the other half of the team in their base, but things don't go too well.

Seonghwa, Hongjoong, Jongho, and Mingi couldn't help but tense up. This was supposed to be a hideout, but everyone seemed to be showing up at their front door.

Jongho went up to the door wordlessly and looked through the peephole. Whatever he saw distressed him enough to make him lean his head against the cold wood surface and mumble inaudibly. 

"It's Yunho," announced Jongho after he let his nerves calm down a bit. Hongjoong nodded and Jongho opened the door. 

Yunho stepped in with two people behind him. They looked like guards, but their posture were relaxed.

"Why are you here? Who are these people?" asked Jongho. He felt somewhat responsible for his own brother, even though he could hardly be blamed for someone else's actions.

"Please listen to me before you freak out." He moved his hands in a pacifying motion, and when he spotted the table full of food, hastily added, "Sorry for interrupting your breakfast."

"Just get to the point," said Hongjoong. He was frowning now. Why did everything had to happen at the same time? "If you're here about last time..." he eyed the two strangers behind Yunho nervously. "We're sorry."

"No, that's not why I came." Yunho sounded even more apologetic than Hongjoong. He felt like that too. He never planned to ask them about bringing Seonghwa back so soon, but the more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that it would be better to get it over with before Kim could do anything else to "motivate" him.

"I won't beat around the bush." Yunho took a deep breath. "I'm here to ask if Seonghwa wants to join us. It's convenient to have someone who can see the future. And we'll be assigned to a mission if you come."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Then Mingi scoffed. A few times, each time sounding more incredulous than the last. "Have you already forgotten what happened yesterday? Do you seriously expect Seonghwa to go so that _you_ can do what you want? In the end, it's all just about you."

Yunho wanted to slap himself for his lack of preparation. "I meant we - you _and_ I - go back to stopping crimes if we show the government what we can do."

Mingi stared at Yunho dumbly. "Please don't tell me you really think that. You-" He was about to release his anger again when the two men who accompanied Yunho collapsed onto the floor suddenly.

Startled, Yunho looked around his feet and saw the two men curled up on the floor with their eyes closed. He lifted his head to see if the others were just as surprised as he was, but realization hit him like a brick when he saw Hongjoong's unnaturally concentrated expression.

A curse slipped out between Yunho's lips. "Why did you do that?" He also wanted to ask how, because he never knew his leader could control other people's minds so well.

"They're not hurt, just sleeping."

A rush of anger and irrational panic - would Hongjoong do anything else? - flooded overrode Yunho's control. "I said why did you do that? They weren't even doing anything!"

Seonghwa noticed Yunho's instability and said, "We don't mean any harm. We just want to tell you something without them listening."

"What?" Yunho's shout made Jongho flinch.

Mingi walked up to Yunho. "They can't be trusted, Yunho. You have to come back. The others too. The assignment you were talking about - you can't accept it. We'll fight there. It's what Seonghwa saw a while ago."

Yunho narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to scare me so I'll leave the government and come back to you? You just want me back by your side?"

"Why would we _ever_ lie about that? It's dangerous for both of us! People could get hurt if we don't figure this out and stop this from happening!" Mingi stepped back, incredulous.

"From _what_ happening? Aren't _we_ the ones fighting each other? What does this have to do with the government? Fine! Just don't join if you hate them so much! I'm not going to force you! I guess I was wrong about you wanting to go back to doing what we used to do!"

Yunho avoided looking at Jongho. He would break if he did. He knew he was not in control of his emotions, but he was so tired of people neglecting his hard work. He couldn't believe this was the kind of treatment he received after coming here to bring good news.

Yunho stood, breathing heavily, as he waited for someone to counter him. But no one did, so he turned around and began to leave. He was about to take his first step when he realized that he couldn't move either of his legs. There was an invisible resistance he couldn't overcome.

There was only one person who could do that. "Jongho, let go of me."

Jongho shook his head furiously even though Yunho was facing the other side. "No."

Yunho lowered his head. "I'm leaving now. I won't bother you anymore. What else do you want?"

"I'm worried about you!" The outburst caused him to lose focus for a split second. Yunho broke free, but his feet hovered indecisively in the air. Then he turned around, with tears in his eyes.

"That's why I'm telling you not to! Have you not been listening?!" He was avoiding Jongho all along, but now he focused only on his little brother. "What happened to Hongjoong and Mingi was an accident. We're not criminals even though we indeed did a lot of damage. We're given a chance to properly join the police force. I know it's not what you want but isn't that better than staying here?!" 

Yunho's two companions shuffled and woke up, but no one acknowledged their presence, and they stood at the corner, slightly dazed.

Yunho waited - clinging onto the chance that Jongho's disappointment might turn into understanding and compassion - but nothing happened.

Jongho sniffed and with the back of his hand clumsily wiped away the tears that were rolling down his cheeks. He took a few steps closer towards Yunho.

He spoke quietly, as if he lost his voice. "If it's so good over there, if it's really what you say it is - then tell me why I never saw you on the news?"

Yunho blinked. He was expecting something entirely different. "What?"

"The others avoided the news because they didn't want to see that the police is failing again after we stopped going on missions, but I didn't. I wanted to know that at least half of us are doing well. But all I saw were articles about the police force improving. About their achievements. About the crime rate reaching an all-time low." Jongho's voice cracked a few times, his pupils trembled, and his hands were clenching the fabric of his pants. 

Yunho was immediately brought back to his conversation with Kim yesterday. So they _were_ being used so the police can get all the credit. But that didn't really matter, did it? They were never concerned about fame.

"That's because we don't deserve it yet." As Yunho said it he realized how weak of a point it was. 

"No, they treat you like you don't exist," said Jongho bluntly. His eyes were staring intensely at his brother, as if they could instill into Yunho the idea that it was too dangerous to keep working with the government.

But that only did the opposite, reigniting the fire inside Yunho's heart. "I'm leaving if you're going to say these things."

Yunho opened the door, but Jongho summoned a gust of wind that slammed it close with a loud bang. Yunho turned around, eyes glowing with malevolence. In spite, he jerked his head and sent half of the plates on the dining table crashing onto the ground. He only meant it as a warning, but Mingi ran up and tackled him onto the floor with a strength he couldn't overcome, and in his struggle he saw Hongjoong and Seonghwa retreating into the corner with a new fear in their eyes.

Mingi loosened his grasp when Yunho stopped wriggling. His back was aching and he felt dizzy. He couldn't see Jongho, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to. His resolve was broken and tears were rolling down his cheeks.

Feeling awkward, Mingi sighed and stood up, reaching an arm out for Yunho to take. Yunho took it after a moment of hesitation and pulled himself upwards.

Seonghwa walked over to offer a piece of tissue, which Yunho took but didn't use. 

"Why do you insist to go back? Do you really like it there so much?" asked Seonghwa. It sounded like they were back to the very beginning now, when they were figuring out why Yunho wanted to leave them. 

But it wasn't like that for Yunho. Maybe he liked it there, but deep down he knew what compromise he made, what he relinquished. "It doesn't matter whether I like it or not. I will go back no matter what. With or without Seonghwa."

"We just don't want anything to happen to you." Jongho's voice was soft, a last attempt to make a difference.

Yunho felt his eyes growing hot again. "But I'd rather go back knowing for sure you'll be safe here."

Yunho gave one last, longing look inside the house before he left, leaving the other four members to themselves as realization slowly dawned on them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some action! There will be more coming very soon! Yunho still insists on working with the government so the rest of the team won't get arrested, and he will eventually find out whether this was the right choice...


	28. Disappeared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingi followed Yunho back to the government HQ and saw something out of the ordinary.

Yunho's final words floated inside the four members' heads - _But I'd rather go back knowing for sure you'll be safe here._

"What did he mean-" Mingi started, but got cut acutely by Hongjoong.

"That doesn't matter right now. Go after Yunho." 

"What?"

"There's no time for questions! You're the most capable to sneak behind him. Find out where he works - maybe you'll see something."

Mingi blinked at Hongjoong, who was already waving him away with his left hand. His mind was going too slow to catch up with the leader's reasoning. "Okay, fine, I'll go." 

Mingi peeked outside the front door before stepping out completely. He turned left, walked past the window, and disappeared.

An awkward silence fell between Hongjoong, Seonghwa, and Jongho. Broken glass, food, and silverware were scattered all over the floor, but it was the least of their worries. A heavy sense of dread washed over the three of them, and suddenly they all wanted to sit down.

"Are you okay, Jongho?" Seonghwa navigated carefully around the remains of their breakfast and squeezed Jongho's hand. His skin was rough and dry, and the rigid muscles took a bit of kneading before it finally relaxed into Seonghwa's palm.

"Yes," said Jongho, even though it wasn't the truth at all. Was that really his brother? If it was, then he felt like he never knew Yunho well enough. "But we have to do something."

"You should get some rest." Seonghwa lifted Jongho's hand gently towards the direction of their rooms, but Jongho's legs were rooted to the floor.

"Hyung, we have to _do_ something." Jongho looked up at Seonghwa, but his choice of words made it clear that he was talking to Hongjoong. Pleading the leader to make a decision, give an order, demand him do something so he could keep pushing himself up the surface to breathe. Because if he didn't, he was afraid his guilt, regret, and despair would flood into him and weigh him down, down, until he drowned in the depths of the sea.

"Seonghwa," said Hongjoong, with a firmness in his voice that set forth a sense of order and security in the mess they were in. "I saw what you wrote in your notebook, but do you have any idea when the smuggling operation would take place?"

Seonghwa released Jongho's hand. "Hongjoong, are you saying...?"

"Do you know or not?"

The answer was just about to roll out of Seonghwa's tongue when a huge migraine hit him, forcing him to crouch and curl himself into a ball as he held his head. Panic washed over him, his shallow breaths becoming more frequent, more rapid. He heard a distant voice telling him to lie down, another asking him if he needed the ambulance. He tried to listen but he couldn't with the explosion of colors and pictures in his head, and as the blurry edges sharpened to clearer details he felt as if his skull was about to crack from the cascade of foreign images.

And then a pair of hands grasped Seonghwa's and the sensation was somehow enough to sooth his nerves, or perhaps the migraine attack was simply wearing off, and finally it was over.

"27th April, 8pm." Seonghwa's mind went blank as soon as the words left his mouth. He stood up, grabbed the cup of water Jongho was holding out and downed it in 3 gulps. His headache subsided, but all that left behind were a blur of colors, and the things he just said.

"Are you...are you ok?" Jongho was shaken terribly. 

"What happened?" asked Hongjoong. He didn't want to push Seonghwa, but he also couldn't dare to waste any more time.

Seonghwa gulped again. Why was his throat dry again? "I don't know...I forgot everything I saw. Everything, except for that specific date and time." 

"It's okay, you did great. We'll just go with that, and hopefully Mingi can help us confirm it." Hongjoong patted Seonghwa on the back.

Seonghwa rubbed his forehead slowly. "This never happened before."

"What do you mean?" asked Jongho, sounding more anxious than he wanted to be. 

"Forgetting things. I remember everything perfectly whenever I get a vision. It's like I can replay the scenes in my head. But my mind is blank, and it's not like there's emotions left, like it would when you forget a dream. It's..." Seonghwa paused, afraid of continuing, of admitting to himself that something is different. "It's almost as if someone tried to take them away."

-

Mingi sat on a bench with his hoodie pulled over his head, texting Hongjoong his location in case that was what he needed to do. The lack of specific instructions were causing a distraction he didn't need, but he managed to find a place right next to the entrance Yunho had entered through seconds ago.

It would be unwise to follow Yunho all the way inside, especially since Mingi spotted the two guards - disguised as bored people waiting for someone - standing in proximity to the doors. He almost fell into the trap, but he saw the imperceptible nod they gave Yunho as he passed by, and it definitely wasn't a coincidence that the nods were perfectly in sync.

A vibration in his hands directed Mingi's attention to his phone. It was a message from Hongjoong.

_Something strange happened to Seonghwa just now. Hard to explain here. But keep an eye out on anything unusual._

Mingi lifted his thumbs, having decided that the disguised guards were 'unusual' enough to be taken into notice, when the doors swung open and a group of 4 marched out and passed straight by him. 

Under normal circumstances, 3 men and 1 woman in business suits wouldn't interest him at all, but that they were wearing identical watches, earpieces, and pin badges told Mingi that they were important people. 

With relaxed gestures, Mingi shrugged off his hood and put on earphones - though of course there were no music playing - before standing up and following the group.

The group no doubt attracted stares, but that was about as far as they were going to be disturbed.

Mingi slowed down as they approached a pedestrian crossing. They didn't seem to be walking towards a car, but Mingi would've never expected them to turn away from the crossing and into a quiet park. 

The park was almost empty, with only a few elders lounging in benches or reading newspapers. It would be a risk to walk in. Mingi passed the park entrance and looped around the perimeter of bushes and plants, stealing occasional glances between the branches. He stopped when the group stopped, pulling his hood up again to hide his face. 

Through a hole in the bush he saw everything unfold, despite not being able to hear whatever the mysterious people were saying.

The tallest man said something to the woman, making her roll her eyes in annoyance. The other two men - one very skinny and one with bright red hair - stood by the side, making sure no one was 'interested' in them. 

The red haired man surveyed his surroundings, his eyes eventually landing on the bushes. Mingi spun around and crouched, his heart pounding. He waited, but no footsteps came. He counted 30 more seconds before returning to his original position, hoping he hadn't missed anything in the short window of time.

His bangs were obscuring his field of vision, Mingi realized as soon as he started peeking again. Eventually the men gathered, standing a few paces away from the woman. Mingi unknowingly held his breath.

The woman reached inside her suit and took something out. Whatever it was was small enough to fit inside her palm, so Mingi couldn't see it until she threw it onto the ground. It looked like a marble, but slightly bigger. 

Mingi didn't dare blink as the woman raised her hand and drew a circle in midair. The men moved closer again, forming a circle around the small object on the ground. 

Mingi leaned in instinctively, his cheek brushing the rough edges of leaves. He saw all four mouths murmuring, and he couldn't be sure but he thought he saw the round thing start to _glow._

Before Mingi knew it, the marble-like object flared and enveloped the group of 4 in a brilliant flash of bright light. The blast forced Mingi to turn around and shield his eyes, and when he turned around and shoved apart the bushes, there was no one to be seen. 

He rubbed his eyes. Rubbed it again. Shook his head. Slapped himself. But he wasn't dreaming. He wasn't seeing things.

The group - all 4 men and 1 woman - has disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What Mingi saw was about to confirm his suspicions towards the government. Now, he can be certain that the government is hiding something. The marble-looking object was probably just one thing - if they can disappear, what else can they do?


	29. Progression

"Are you sure? Did they really come out of the building Yunho went in? You're not making things up right?" Seonghwa's hands were on Minho's shoulder, and he was so close to shaking the answers out of the taller man.

"No! I'm not lying, Seonghwa-hyung!" Mingi failed to keep his voice down. He was frantic, desperate to explain himself.

"Calm down, both of you." said Hongjoong, even though he himself was pacing back and forth.

Seonghwa let go of Mingi as a horrible thought struck him. "Do you think...the headache and the memory loss...was someone was behind that too?"

"This is messed up..." Mingi ran his hand through his hair.

"Nothing is confirmed yet, except for the fact that we have another mission 2 weeks later." Hongjoong sat down next to Jongho and nursed his arm, which still ached whenever he did any big movements. And stress was not helping at all.

"But one thing is clear and it's that there's something going on with the government! Or part of it, anyway." Mingi pulled a chair out and sat across Hongjoong. "Do you think Yunho knew all along?"

Jongho heard the conspiratorial tone and immediately grew defensive. "Hyung, how can you say something like that?"

Mingi turned his head and put on an innocent face. "I'm just asking..."

Seonghwa interrupted before things can get heated. "Let's call Yunho, or any of the others. They have to know, and maybe then they'll finally see that the people they work with are dangerous, or at the very least suspicious."

Jongho knew it wasn't going to work, but it didn't seem sensible not to try at all. Besides, he didn't know what he could say to make the others understand. Yunho had said he and the others would rather stay with the government knowing the other half of the group would be safe here. It might sound like he said that out of desperation, but to Jongho it was definitely more sinister than something said arbitrarily.

Jongho fumbled with his phone. "I'll call."

Once the maknae was inside his room and out of earshot, Mingi leaned in and whispered, "Don't you think he should've been more...I don't know, more against Yunho leaving? They're brothers after all."

Seonghwa went around the table and poked Mingi's forehead. "You know nothing about them. So don't pretend like you understand. And Yunho got taken away. And we don't know if he even had the _choice_ to come back."

Mingi made a show of rubbing his forehead, but stopped short of forming a retort when he saw the grave looks on Seonghwa and Hongjoong's faces.

"No matter what Yunho says," Hongjoong nodded towards the hallway. "We still have to prepare for the operation. It will be a crime scene after all, and it will be a chance to bring the others back."

Mingi's eyes landed on Hongjoong's bandages. "Will your arm be okay?"

"It's not a deep cut," Hongjoong lied. It was a serious wound, but it would heal before he had to do anything dangerous. That is, if stress didn't worsen it first. 

Jongho decided to come out at this moment, with his phone still pressed into his left ear. The older members turned to look at him, but he stared at the wall as he spoke to the receiver. 

"If you don't believe me I'll put the phone on speaker, and Hongjoong-hyung will explain it again. Seonghwa-hyung can tell you too. You'll listen to him, right? And-" Jongho was interrupted mid sentence and he sucked in a gulp of air, his right hand gesturing in the air desperately.

"Hyung, just _wait,_ please! You ha-" The final word was cut off and lost in the air. Jongho let his left hand drop to his side and turned to the waiting members with an apologetic look. 

"It's okay, we'll just have to be more careful." Hongjoong reassured Jongho.

There was nothing more that needed to be said, but Mingi stretched his arm out towards Jongho. "Give me your phone, I'll call Yunho again and tell him."

Jongho recoiled his hands instinctively. He would never forget what happened last time when Mingi heard his phone call to Yunho. 

Mingi didn't let the hurt show on his face. He just wanted to help. "I promise I won't lose my temper." But that didn't convince Jongho, nor the other two members who were watching him carefully. Mingi's arm retracted and he let his thoughts out. "But what kind of person wouldn't believe his own brother?" 

Seonghwa kicked Mingi's leg under the table, eliciting a sharp intake of breath from Mingi. Jongho's expression turned rigid from his attempt to suppress his emotions.

"Just let it go," said Hongjoong. "You can tell Yeosang, Wooyoung, and San." 

Brows furrowed in frustration, Mingi turned to Hongjoong. "Do you think Yunho would believe them? He'd probably just let them go and stay there himself." 

It was Hongjoong's turn to frown. "You don't know that. Maybe Yunho trusts Yeosang, Wooyoung, and San more than he trusts us." Hongjoong shut his mouth as soon as the last words left his mouth, instant regret showing in his wide eyes.

Jongho hung his head low and bit his lower lip. It was clear from the phone call earlier that Yunho didn't believe him, but he never thought of it like Hongjoong did. Yunho still trusted him, Jongho thought. It was just too much to take in. That had to be it.

The maknae raised his head in mild surprise when his phone rang. "It's Yeosang-hyung," he said, reading the caller ID.

"Yeosang-hyung?" Jongho avoided the three pairs of eyes watching him as he listened to the other side of the line. "Yes, they're here." After a moment he nodded, switched the call to speaker mode and held the phone out for the others to hear.

"Yunho got quite agitated, so we asked him what happened and he told us briefly what Jongho told him." Yeosang's whispers sounded breathy through the phone speakers. "Wooyoung and San don't believe anything, but I can tell Yunho's a bit nervous. He looked like he didn't want to believe it, rather than not being able to."

Jongho felt slightly relieved from hearing that.

"To be honest I'm a bit doubtful too," said Yeosang. "But I do think there's something fishy going on. It all seems to easy right now. I'll keep an eye out from now on, and hopefully I can find something that will finally convince Yunho to quit."

Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong, suggesting something with his meaningful gaze. He didn't know how much Yunho told the others. Yeosang might or might not had known about the fight in their upcoming 'assignment'. He might or might not already know about the potential danger they were in. Seonghwa didn't know whether it was better to warn them, or leave it be so they wouldn't have to worry.

The leader nodded. He trusted Yunho to tell Yeosang and the others when the time came, but at this point it was better to be safe than sorry. Whether they believed it or not, they should at least know what was going on so they could be prepared.

Seonghwa was about to talk about his vision when Yeosang spoke again.

"Yunho told us about what might happen during our assignment. He thinks you're just scaring him, and I don't know what to think about it yet, but we'll be careful."

Hongjoong sighed. "Thank you." He was so glad he had a member like Yeosang.

"To be honest, I followed Wooyoung not exactly because I didn't want to leave Yunho behind, but because I wanted to see if Yunho was right about the government."

"Wow, so you're a spy." said Mingi jokingly. His smile was wiped off by Seonghwa's glare.

Yeosang played along. "I guess." He paused, and then there were scratchy shuffling noises as he stood up. "I got to go now. By the way, you shouldn't call San or Wooyoung. They are starting to be influenced by Yunho, and they weren't happy since the time Mingi shouted at them after the rogue agent incident." 

Mingi smiled sheepishly.

"We know what to do," said Hongjoong. "Let's keep in contact."

"I'll call you as soon as I find anything," Yeosang replied. "Goodbye."

And with that the line cut off, leaving a heavy silence in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They are so close to finding out the truth! Yeosang is now helping Hongjoong and the others, but he's still maintaining a neutral stance. Will Yeosang see anything weird now that he's actually looking for something?


	30. Countdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY I missed this chapter!!! Basically Yeosang told Hongjoong anything weird he saw in the government HQ.

_D-7, 1 week before the smuggling operation_

Hongjoong was working on his laptop when his phone rang. He stopped everything he was doing and picked it up.

"Yeosang?"

_Yes hyung, it's me._

Relief washed over Hongjoong - he had waited nearly one week for Yeosang to call back with information or anything that might prove the government threatening to the team - but he straightened his back, and braced himself for whatever Yeosang had to say.

"Did you find something?"

_Kind of. I'm sorry it took me this long. A lot of places are out of bounds, and they are still really strict on what we do or where we're going._

Hongjoong was reminded of the one visit they made a while ago. "Don't you get holidays anymore?"

_No, that seemed to be a one time thing. Maybe it's just so Yunho can talk to Kim - the person in charge of us - without us listening in._

It sounded like an extreme measure just to prevent eavesdropping, but Hongjoong didn't question further. He realized he got sidetracked worrying about his members. He shook his head and refocused on the more important things that could hopefully make this all end soon.

"So what did you find?"

_I didn't see anything like Mingi did last time, so I still can't be sure whether there are other people like us._

Hongjoong had suspected that too, but it sounded so ridiculous to him that he dismissed it again and again. Now that he heard it from Yeosang, it occurred to him that perhaps he was just too scared to believe it.

"Go on." Hongjoong stood up and walked to the open window so he could get a breath of fresh air.

_Kim talked to us this morning - she does every few days to see how we're doing, to make sure we didn't cause any trouble. Today she told us what our first assignment is. She knew almost everything. As if she knows there will be a crime we have to stop._

Hongjoong frowned. Everything would automatically make sense if the government were in fact hiding people with superpowers, but there weren't nearly enough evidence.

_Yunho thinks they are staging it themselves so they can gain credit._

"That makes sense," said Hongjoong. He didn't know if it was true, but it was easier to believe than his presumption about there being more super humans.

_Another explanation can be that they caught one of the person involved and forced him to tell them everything about their plans._

"Right." Hongjoong massaged the bridge of his nose, which was aching from frowning so hard. "Do you know where you're going?"

_No, Kim only told us the date and what we'll generally be doing._

Hongjoong closed his eyes to steady himself. Seonghwa only saw shipment containers, so no one knew where it was going to happen. Hongjoong could only hope that it was close enough to them that they would have time to rush there and intercept if they had to.

"Do you have anything else to add?"

_What if we were wrong all along? What if we are just going on a normal mission?_

"As much as I would like that to happen, Seonghwa's visions don't lie."

-

_D-6_

_Hongjoong-hyung, the person who attacked you last time wasn't rogue. He was following orders. From Kim._

"Wait, Yeosang. Slow down. What happened exactly?"

_I heard Kim talk to her section chief, who told her she did a good job staging the attack. He even suggested her to do it again, but Kim refused.  
_

"Seonghwa was right. They are trying to separate us."

-

_D-4  
_

_There's a room._

"What room?"

_I don't know. I've never seen the inside of it. The door looks identical to the ones on the same floor, so it took me a while to notice it. I tried asking the scientists and detectives I work with and no one knows what's inside, but they told me only a few people have high enough clearance to enter.  
_

_The head research scientist who showed us around the lab also denied knowing anything, but this morning I saw him enter the room. I tried to eavesdrop but all I heard were people talking, before someone walked past and told me to never get near that room again. That person looked scared._

Hongjoong sighed. Everything Yeosang told him so far were things to be suspicious of, but none of them could actually confirm the suspicions. He once thought his team would never fight each other, but the possibility that it was the government they had to fight was slowly shrinking. 

Thanking Yeosang again, Hongjoong's eyes landed on the creased business card sticking out of his wallet on the desk. He hung up and took the card out. He found it one day when he was cleaning up Yunho's room and wondered for a long time why Yunho had Kim's card. It never bothered Hongjoong that much because Kim did visit them and it wouldn't surprise him if she offered Yunho her contact information, but now new questions were beginning to pop up in his mind.

The possible answers for those questions unsettled him deeply.

-

_D-2_

Hongjoong decided to change his approach to the investigation.

"Did Yunho tell you how he got taken away from that building on our other mission?"

_Yes, but not much. He was shot by a dart containing a chemical that instantly knocked him out. When he woke up, he was already inside our living quarters._

"So he didn't contact anyone from the government and go there himself?"

_No, definitely not. I don't think he would. He got quite frustrated at Kim sometimes. Especially after you and Mingi got attacked, because she promised Yunho that you wouldn't be arrested if you don't go on any other missions._

Hongjoong had no idea whether to be relieved or unnerved by that answer. 

"Do you know Yunho came to us and tried to convince Seonghwa to join you?"

_Yes, we told him not to, but he said he had to at least try. It doesn't matter anyway, because Kim seems to know everything about our assignment in two days, even without a clairvoyant._

"We tried to convince Yunho to leave the government, but he said he implied that he would stay there to keep us safe. Do you know what that means?"

_I think he's afraid that we will all be arrested if we quit now._

That was what Hongjoong thought too, but he never quite believed it. The eight of them together could easily win a fight, if not run away. Unless there _was_ something more about the government they didn't know about.

-

_D-1_

_I'm sorry, hyung. We still don't know where we're going tomorrow. Maybe they don't know either.  
_

"There's no need to apologize. Just tell us as soon as you find out. Or I'll read-wait, is San going too?"

_I'm pretty sure, yes. But I think it'll be okay. We met some of the people who will be going with us, and they're all very nice. Maybe we've been overthinking all this.  
_

"But we still can't explain what Mingi saw in the park. And the room you were talking about. And the fact that the government is trying to separate us." 

_I will make sure to be careful tomorrow. You should watch us from afar first, and intercept only if we need help. Only I know you are coming. Yunho and the others assume that you want nothing to do with us anymore.  
_

Hongjoong said goodbye without making a verbal agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeosang and Hongjoong teamed up to find more answers, but they didn't quite reach any definitive conclusions. Is the government really their enemy? Or are they overthinking like Yeosang suggested? Yunho didn't know that Yeosang was helping Hongjoong's team yet, but what would happen when he did?


	31. Trauma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa calls Yunho one day before the assignment and tries to warn Yunho again. Will he listen?

_D-1_

"Yunho, you have a thousand missed calls." Wooyoung called for Yunho from the living room, where the forgotten phone was still vibrating on the table.

Yunho walked out his bedroom reluctantly and retrieved his phone. He knew who it was and he didn't want to talk to him. He didn't want to talk to anyone, in fact. He just wanted to complete the mission tomorrow successfully and prove to his teammates that he was correct all along.

Back in his room, Yunho unlocked his phone and sent a message to Seonghwa and Hongjoong. They had been calling him non-stop since a week ago, and he stopped picking them up after the first one, when he hung up rudely the moment he heard Hongjoong mention Seonghwa's vision.

_Please stop calling me, hyung. You told me everything I needed to hear, and I did the same. I'm going tomorrow no matter what. I'm not forcing you to go, so please respect my decision._

Yunho was about to hit send when another incoming call caught his attention.

Incoming call 📲 _**Tiny Apple**_

Yunho's finger hovered over the "send" button and bit his lip. He tried fighting the urge, but failed to overcome the obligation of a big brother and eventually gave up on the messages.

His trembling thumb tapped on the green 'receive call' button.

"If you're here to talk about tomorrow I don't want to listen."

 _I'm not, I just..._ Jongho sighed. _I don't know how to say this. Seonghwa-hyung_ _really wants to talk to you-_

"Forget it." Yunho moved his phone away from his ear and reached for the 'end call' button.

_Wait!  
_

Already nervous and on edge about what was going to happen in less than 24 hours, he jumped at Jongho's shout.

_He's not going to say what you think he's going to say.  
_

The sudden softness in Jongho's tone called out to the kind part of Yunho and urged him to give it another chance. Yunho knew this was always his weakness - the inability to be harsh towards his brother.

"Okay."

Yunho heard Jongho call for Seonghwa in distant voice.

_To be honest, I wanted to use Jongho's phone to call you because I knew you wouldn't pick up otherwise, but Jongho wouldn't let me. He said he didn't want to lie to you._

Yunho didn't know why Seonghwa was telling him this, but the words still had their effect. He felt a lump forming in his throat and quickly swallowed to get rid of it. "Just tell me what you wanted to say so badly."

_I want to you remind you that my visions always come true. It doesn't matter if you go or not, because it will happen eventually, under different circumstances.  
_

Yunho's patience was running thin. He knew all this, but it didn't matter because he didn't believe it. "It's not going to happen. It might be dangerous, yes, but every mission we went on had their risks."

 _That's..._ Seonghwa realized where this was going and stopped before he could say more. _I'm not here to convince you not to go. All I'm saying is_ please _be careful. I trust that you'll do the best for the group when you have to make a choice.  
_

A chill traveled down Yunho's spine as he recognized the same exact sentence Seonghwa said that night after the celebration dinner. He debated whether or not to tell Seonghwa about the choice he already made, to stay here so that the group won't be arrested, so that they would have a chance to use their powers for good cause again.

"You make it sound like I won't." Yunho couldn't help but feel indignant. 

_Keep the members safe, Yunho. Know who your enemies are._

Yunho frowned at the screen of his phone momentarily as if that would help clear his confusion. Was that supposed to be a warning? Advice? Or was it a conclusion of some sort? He wished he could see Seonghwa's expression so he could figure out which one it was.

"My enemies oppose what I do, but I won't use such a strong word." 

Yunho almost hung up waiting for a reply. 

_You have to protect Yeosang and San. They don't have special powers to defend themselves._

Impatience and annoyance culminated into a sharp burst of anger.

"They will be given guns. And if you're so worried, why don't you come here and and drag us away? Instead of calling, _hoping_ me to pick up, and then _urging_ me to listen?"

Yunho shocked Seonghwa into silence. 

_Sorry, Yunho. Maybe none of this would've happened if we'd have reached an agreement earlier, but we can't create more conflict by forcing you to come back.  
_

"No, maybe this wouldn't have happened if you'd just let us do what we want instead of scaring all of us by making assumptions, twisting the things I told you, and making a big deal out of it."

Yunho waited one second for an answer before he decided he wouldn't be able to handle it and hung up.

His phone laid still in his hand, and he placed it down on his desk he wiped away the cold sweat on his palm. It was 9:24pm, which was still too early for bed, but it wasn't like he would be able to fall asleep anyway. The only thing he felt like doing was practice like he did for the past few weeks.

So he did.

Inside the "virtual reality" room, Yunho put on special equipment and operated the panel on the wall, clicking the buttons and rotating the dials like he did a hundred times before. He could no longer tell where the walls once were as he found himself in an industrial building with a lot of boxes and barrels he could 'move' around. 

Yunho stood there until his eyes got tired from staring at the grey interior. He still had no idea how his powers worked inside virtual reality, but he knew nothing would happen until he did something, so he toppled a stack of boxes in front of him. 

A person wearing a black cap and mask stood up from a crouching position and approached Yunho now that his presence was known. Yunho waited until two accomplices emerged from their own hiding place before he looked up and dropped two heavy containers stacked on the top of a shelf nearby.

The three men disappeared immediately as soon as the container touched their heads. Too easy. Usually he would set a higher difficulty, but he wasn't in the best state to deal with a crowd of attackers, despite them being fake.

A small creak sent Yunho onto full alert, and he swiveled around, trying to locate the source. The echoes were messing with his brain, so he walked to a nearby pillar and pressed his back against it. The suit he was wearing created the illusion that he was actually touching something, but all he cared about now was that he didn't get attacked from behind.

Finally, Yunho caught a movement at the corner of his eye. He turned his head and spotted the top of someone's head peeking out from behind a bench. 

Yunho looked for a heavy object to throw and opted for a large barrel right next to him. He had to start moving it from a distance away so it could gain momentum and speed. With both of his hands, he lifted the barrel and flung it towards the hiding man.

Yunho's weapon was inches away from hitting the target when the man stood up. In the split second it took for the barrel to 'kill' him, Yunho took in his features and thought for a horrible moment that he saw Jongho. His instinct was to draw back, so the barrel slowed down just enough for it to only knock out the enemy.

Gasping for breath, Yunho took trembling steps towards the person as he reasoned with himself. That person was wearing a mask, so it was very likely he made a mistake. But those eyes were exactly the same as Jongho's, and brothers who lived together for 20 years could definitely recognize each others eyes. 

And what does it matter anyway? This was all fake.

Despite telling himself that, Yunho felt his heart thumping as he knelt down next to the man on the floor. His hand shook as he removed the mask from the face.

Yunho blinked as the body disappeared - having bled to death - before he could identify the man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yunho was probably just seeing things because he was tired, but was he also affected by what Seonghwa said on the phone? What would happen tomorrow (next chapter) with all this confusion?


	32. D -Day (1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the assignment. How will Seonghwa's vision play out today?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting three chapters today because they are closely connected ;)

_D-day, 27th April 7:50pm_

"4 suspicious men are spotted on the port. Possibly more coming." Kim pressed her Bluetooth cell phone headset against her ear and reported everything she heard. "We have to go now." She nodded at Wooyoung.

Wooyoung nodded back and held Yunho's hand. Kim watched San and Yeosang teleport away before she entered her car with the rest of the team. Instead of starting the engine, Kim looked at her watch. 

"We'll go after 10 minutes. They'll probably get the job done by then." She turned her head to the woman riding shotgun. "Do you have the thing ready?"

"Yes," the woman replied, taking something out from her shirt pocket. She showed Kim the gray round object on her palm. It looked like a marble, but slightly bigger. A dim pulsing light emanated from it. 

"Put that away," said Kim, irritated at her teammate's incompetence.

-

Yeosang frowned at his mild headache - a side effect from teleporting - and took in his surroundings. It was just as he had expected, a port stacked high with shipping containers, empty and full.

His fingers grazed the corner of his phone poking out of his pants pocket. He said he would tell Hongjoong as soon as he knew where the mission would take place, but was it necessary? He would betray some of his friends no matter what he decided to do. 

A sharp tug on his arm snapped him back to reality. 

"What are you doing? They are right there!" Wooyoung whispered harshly to Yeosang and pulled him behind a container, where Yunho and San were waiting in crouching positions. 

Yeosang angled his head and peeked at the four men who were filling up large bags with smaller brown packets taken from an open container. The packets were opaque, but it wasn't hard to guess what was inside. They were focused on their task with no fear of being caught since they bribed everyone working in the port to disappear for the night.

"I'll cause a distraction to confuse them so we can take them down," said Yunho. "On the count of three?"

The others nodded, and Yunho stood up. He found a sealed bag - already filled up and bulky - and flung it straight at the back of one of the smuggler's head. He fell forward with a grunt, dropping the packets he were holding. His companions freed their hands as well and pulled out weapons, looking around for the attacker while trying to comprehend what they had just saw. 

It was too dark to see their expressions, but the smuggler's hands were shaking and their feet was dancing around uneasily. Before they could realize what happened, Yunho, Wooyoung, San, and Yeosang emerged from their hiding place and tackled the smugglers.

They tied up the criminals and locked them in a container. They waited anxiously just in case there were more accomplices hiding.

By 8:05pm, Wooyoung had lowered his guard. "This was easier than I thought."

As if on cue, an earsplitting gunshot sounded nearby, followed by a high-pitched clang of the bullet hitting the metal surface of a container. Yunho's breaths quickened as he saw the dent on the metal inches away from him, where Wooyoung just was.

San rushed to Wooyoung, who was on the ground a safe distance away from where the bullet hit. His body had sensed the incoming danger and teleported him away just in time.

"Oh-oh god, are you ok?" His eyes wide with shock and horror, San scoured Wooyoung's body for any wounds or injuries.

Wooyoung sat up slowly. He was aching all over from his body's exertion to save him from danger. "I'm fine." He frowned, stood up, and ran back with San to the safety of the containers.

"They had backup." Yunho's gestured for everyone to stay low as his eyes darted around, searching for the people who attacked them. But the containers provided too many hiding places, and whoever was out there were planning their next move quietly.

3 painstakingly tense minutes passed before the opposing team made a mistake. Yeosang saw something glint under the moonlight two towers of containers away. He squinted his eyes and saw a silver flash under the moonlight.

Yeosang pointed to the general direction urgently. He mouthed "guns" at the other three.

Yunho frowned. He knew he wasn't the only one wondering where Kim was. But they couldn't wait here like sitting ducks for assistance to come. They had to act now, before the smugglers' accomplices took the advantage.

A gust of wind disturbed the sea and the waves rumbled, disrupting the heavy silence in the port. Moving clouds cut off the scant light from the moon that already provided little visibility to the people on the port. 

Yunho shifted his body to face his teammates and cringed when the soles of his shoes scratched against the rough ground. He hoped the wind carried the sounds away, and thought momentarily about Jongho and his ability to control the air. 

Mouthing simple words and moving his hands, Yunho managed to lay out his plan. They would approach the other side by navigating from one row of containers to the next, until it was close enough for Yunho to see their targets and potential objects he could use as weapons. 

Wooyoung understood and countered, suggesting that he could teleport to the other side, land a punch, and then come back before they could register his appearance. 

San shook his head furiously. The clouds passed by, moonlight highlighting the concern on Yunho's face. "Are you crazy?" he mouthed, so vehement that he lost his balance and had to press his hand against the container to balance himself.

A sudden bang of metal against metal sent chills all over the four men's bodies. Their heads jerked to the source, which was the same direction as the gun Yeosang spotted. Only much more closer.

San held onto someone's arm. He didn't know who and he didn't care. He could hear his heart pumping loudly his ears. Then someone placed an arm over his shoulders and he felt his body relax just enough for him to turn his head, so he could look at Yunho for further instructions.

Yunho's eyes were still fixed on a nearby container, trembling in anticipation for a surprise attack. He only broke his gaze when his eyes were tearing up from not blinking. Since no one revealed themselves, he told his three teammates that they would go with the original plan, but investigate the sound after they got past the first row.

Legs numb from crouching, Yunho straightened them slowly and silently, prompting the others to follow. He was about halfway to full height when he saw his friends' blanched faces and rigid bodies.

Realizing immediately what was going on, Yunho's neck tingled with nerves as he prepared to turn around. A cold sensation on the back of his head made him think twice.

Adrenaline and fear overwhelmed Yunho's body and eventually paralyzed him.

He watched as men in black clothes appear out of nowhere and seize San, Yeosang, and Wooyoung's hands. They were all forced to kneel on the ground.

Wooyoung's steely face told Yunho that he had the impulsive urge to teleport away and do what he can to turn the tables, but even that vanished when he saw the 5 other guns pointed at them from different angles.

Yunho saw San visibly shaking. He too, felt incredibly small next to the towering container next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! The action is here! And since the next few chapters are all closely related, I'll post all of those together XD I don't think I'm good at writing action scenes but hopefully you felt the suspense in this chapter hehe-
> 
> Keep reading the next chapter of you want to know how the team will escape out of this situation!


	33. D - Day (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the surface, Yunho and the others were only stopping a crime like they always did, but things started to get complicated when backup came late and their ride back home failed to show up.

_8:10pm_

"Why hasn't Yeosang texted us yet?" Mingi paced around anxiously, looking up to check the clock every 10 seconds.

No one answered him. They didn't want to give themselves fake hope, nor did they want to face the horror of a worst case scenario.

Jongho and Seonghwa stood by the window and looked deep into the woods.

Hongjoong sat on the couch, his phone on the coffee table. He waited for inky darkness of the screen to light up with a phone call, but none came. He looked back and forth between the clock and his lifeless phone, the pause on each object shortening every repetition.

Finally, at exactly 8:15pm, Hongjoong closed his eyes and took deep breaths to calm his racing heart. His body was still tense with trepidation, but he would have to go with it.

With brows furrowed, Hongjoong picked his way through distractions and reached for one unique mind until he zoned in on the one single thought he needed.

"Let's go," said Hongjoong as soon as he opened his eyes again. He stood up and fought the dizzying effect of vertigo.

-

_8:25pm_

A dozen possible escape routes flashed across Yunho's mind, but it offered burden rather than salvation. What use were the plans when none of them offered the chance to run away with the whole group - Yunho, San, Wooyoung, and Yeosang - alive?

Yunho felt like he wouldn't have had the energy to stand up even if the strong hands on his shoulders and the nozzle pressed against his head were removed. He could tell he wasn't the only one feeling this way from his teammates sunken heads. 

"What should we do, boss?" The man standing behind San nudged San's head with his gun.

San whimpered. Surrendering seemed to be the only option.

The man behind Yunho snickered. "Of course we have to-" A loud moan cut off his sentence. Yunho felt the weight on his shoulders disappear as something brushed against his head. The gun that was pointed to him seconds ago scattered across the ground next to him.

Yunho looked up and saw the other men raise their guns. A few shots were fired blindly, but the captors were the ones who fell to the ground screaming in pain. Yunho didn't bother trying to figure out what happened. He scrambled to his friends and together they ran as far away as possible from the war zone.

The gunshots died down eventually. The men who were about to kill Yunho, Wooyoung, San, and Yeosang were now lying on the ground - some motionless, but mostly just groaning from being shot. A few people stood over them with guns in their hands, but they didn't approach Yunho's group even as they made eye contact.

"Our backup came the last minute." Wooyoung didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He was holding onto San tightly.

Yeosang's hands were on his heart. "Is that Kim?" He nodded at the woman approaching them.

"We found the four smugglers locked inside the container that stored the illegal drugs. You did a good job," Kim said flatly. "We didn't know they had so much help. You held on long enough for us to arrive."

Shaken from the thrilling experience, the four men were struggling to register Kim's words. No one knew what reaction to give.

Kim didn't seem to care. "We managed to apprehend a notorious gang tonight." Her hand reached up to her Bluetooth headset, nodded, and then looked back at the crime scene. "You did a good job," she said again, without turning around. "We will discuss future arrangements later. Someone will pick you up after our team is done here."

Kim started moving as soon as the last word left her mouth. The clacking of her high heels faded away gradually as her silhouette blended into the night. 

Yeosang's hand found his phone again, but he was hesitant to take it out. That they had completed the assignment was a fact that couldn't be plainer. But there wasn't a suitable opinion he could give to this matter.

"So did we do it? Did we gain their acknowledgement?" asked Wooyoung.

"I'm not sure, but I think the 'future arrangements' will tell us the answer." Occupied with his own thoughts, Yunho replied absentmindedly. He could hardly believe it himself. It all just seemed too easy. But then again, they had help from Kim's team, and only experienced or dangerous criminals posed a challenge to a group of super humans. Most of those were already sitting in jail anyway, and the best ones were so professional no one would even know they existed.

"Shouldn't we worry about Seonghwa's vision now?" Yeosang gripped his phone in his pocket, hoping suddenly that he had the ability to turn invisible, or send telepathic messages.

Yunho placed a hand on Yeosang's shoulder and smiled. "Look, everyone's leaving." An engine revved up in the distance with a vroom. "We're alone, and we will leave this place soon. Nothing's going to happen."

Yeosang couldn't bring himself to smile with Yunho. One sentence kept repeating in his head, haunting him and ridding him of a sense of security.

_Seonghwa's visions always come true._

_-_

"We're here." Hongjoong killed the engine.

Seonghwa sat next to Hongjoong while Jongho and Mingi took the passenger seats. All four of them looked out the window even though there weren't much to see.

They overlooked the port and the walls of shipment containers. It was silent safe for the soft waves and quiet breathing inside the car. The reality was, they were looking at a perfectly normal port. Not a war zone, nor a battlefield.

Mingi stepped out of the car. He walked as close as he dared to the edge of the small hill they were on and squinted his eyes. Having the best eyesight among his teammates, he was the only one who had a chance of spotting Yunho and the others, or potential threats.

"There they are. They're just standing there. And I see no one else, unless they are hiding behind some of the containers."

Hongjoong drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

_You should watch us from afar first, and intercept only if we need help._

-

_8:45pm_

"Let me call Kim. Our ride should be here by now." Yunho took out his phone, his movements relaxed and leisured.

The call connected on the first ring.

"Hello?"

Yunho repeated his greeting when no answer came. His back was turned to his teammates so he could feel the wind on his face.

"Kim? Are you there?" Yunho heard noises, so he knew the connection was fine. He was still trying to evoke a response when he saw a blob of black twitch in the distance. Deciding he would call again later, Yunho squinted his eyes to get a better look. He saw nothing.

"Argh!"

Yunho spun around at the scream. He recognized Wooyoung's voice, but he didn't have to guess because Wooyoung was right there on the ground with his hands on his head.

"What's happening to him?" San cried, again on the verge of crying. He kept asking Wooyoung where it hurt and how he felt, but no words came out between Wooyoung's trembling lips.

Yeosang didn't care anymore about being surreptitious. He pulled out his phone and called Hongjoong.

Yunho turned around. He had to make sure.

The spot where he saw the black blob was now empty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things just don't seem to end, huh? But like Hongjoong said, Seonghwa's visions always came true. So of course the mission wasn't that easy...


	34. D - Day (3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conflict breaks out when doppelgangers appear

"Wait! Where are you going?!" Yeosang shouted at Yunho, who was already running away towards something only he saw.

Wooyoung moaned, his head still throbbing from the after effects. "Someone...someone me-messed with my brain."

"What? Bu-but it doesn't make sense!" San helped Wooyoung sit up so he could lean against a container. "Where's Yunho?"

Yeosang stuttered, unsure of how to explain the situation they were in. But his words would be unnecessary anyway. Just like a shooting star, it came and end quickly, as if it never happened. 

Yunho sailed across the sky, used telekinesis on himself to resist the force of gravity as he was about to land, and since his momentum was too great - eventually dropped with a thud.

San looked like he saw a ghost. "W-What happened?"

Yunho pushed himself off the ground. There was dust on his haggard face, and his clothes were creased. "It's them." He paused to catch his breath. "I didn't see their faces clearly, but I'm sure it's them."

"Who?" Yeosang looked around him subconsciously, his body feeling heavy with dread.

Yunho turned to Wooyoung. "Hongjoong did that to you. Only he can."

"That's impossible. We can't use our powers on people of our kind," said Wooyoung as he stood up. His body still felt like jelly, but standing on two feet tricked his heart into a sense of security.

Yunho had nothing to say to that. "And there's only one person who can make me fly."

Yeosang shook his head, his voice getting increasingly louder, "You said you didn't see their faces. We don't know even know if we're the only-"

"LOOK OUT!" Wooyoung grabbed San and they disappeared, seconds before a large barrel crashed onto them.

Yunho retraced the trajectory of the barrel and found a person standing on a container. He was wearing a white shirt with an explosion of dark pixels at the bottom - maybe blue, maybe purple. It was too dark and far away to see a face, but that height, body shape, and posture was unmistakable. It had to be Mingi. He gritted his teeth and turned around. "Wooyoung, bring San and Yeosang somewhere safe."

"But-"

"Just do it!"

Wooyoung was struck with indecision. He was used to listening to Yunho since he was the oldest among the four, but that didn't mean he would follow orders blindly. If Hongjoong was here with the rest of the team, then taking San and Yeosang away would mean a 2 vs 4 fight.

"What do you want?!" Yunho had more questions, but he was too angry to keep talking. He couldn't believe it — after all the talk about the government being dangerous and about Seonghwa's vision, it was their own teammates who started the fight.

Yeosang's hands were clasped over his mouth. He stared at the figure looming over them a few meters above and didn't dare blink.

Mingi - Yunho assumed - jumped off and landed gracefully on two feet. Yunho widened his eyes when he started to approach them.

He called again for Wooyoung to save San and Yeosang as he pointed the palm of his hand to the barrel beside him.

Wooyoung and San flinched as the barrel hit Mingi in the stomach, forcing his body to bend in half on impact before he fell to the ground.

"Come on!" Yunho's cry pulled his three shocked teammates back to their senses. They ran until they couldn't. Until it was physically impossible to. All four them collapsed into a coughing fit, heaving, mouths wide open, sucking for air.

Yunho hammered his chest and forced himself to take slower breaths. His lungs were burning from the lack of oxygen. He felt light-headed. But alive. A terrifying thought crossed his mind and he arched his neck to confirm his speculation.

He had never hated more to be right.

Standing 10 meters away was Jongho. The only person who could literally take people's breaths away. For a second Yunho didn't believe it, but he knew his brain was just trying to deny it so his heart could feel better. But the hurt, shock, anger, and distress were so overwhelming he could barely breathe, let alone feel mentally well.

Wooyoung, Yeosang, and San's labored breaths were deafening in the dead silence of the port. Wooyoung didn't even have the energy to teleport away. A burst of anger pulled Yunho up onto his two feet, followed by a tingling sensation in his arm that urged him to do something.

He stared at the small figure in front of him. Cold sweat stuck to his palms. His heart beat against his rib cage. Fast and hard. He had to do something before his body used up the limited oxygen he had. He frowned as he raised his rigid arm, hand shaking from effort. His gut was twisted into an ugly knot but anger fueled his burning heart. 

A tear drop rolled down Yunho's cheek and he snapped out of it. His arm dropped limply and he watched the figure run away and shrink into nothing.

He couldn't do it. Bitterness overwhelmed him. He couldn't do it, even though his brother started it first. Air rushed into his lungs but Yunho didn't feel the relief. The fire in his heart died down, but scars remained. 

"Was that...?" Yeosang's voice was shaky. 

Yunho didn't reply. He began running again, though he didn't know where he was heading. That was the only thing he felt like he could do. The others followed behind him and they stopped when they reached an empty part of the port. Without the metal giants surrounding them, they felt more vulnerable than ever.

"We should go back," said Wooyoung. "I can bring you back."

 _Back where?_ Yunho wanted to ask. Their ride - the one they were promised - should've been here 10 minutes ago. The other half of the team - the ones who warned them again and again about today - were the ones Yunho should've been warned about.

There was nowhere they could go.

"Look!" San's voice made Yunho jump. His nerves were so jittery they set off like tiny bombs at every little stimulus. 

Two figures were running towards them. Yunho recognized the white shirt and dark pixels. Now that he was closer, he realized those were waves, not pixels. He raised his arms so he could make them fall over, but Yeosang seized them and pulled hard to stop Yunho.

"What are you doing?" Yunho shrugged Yeosang off and prepared himself again, but it was too late.

Mingi approached them. Seonghwa was behind him, in a brown sweater. They both carried worried faces.

Yunho stepped back in disgust, bracing himself in case he needed to use his powers again. 

"Are you okay? Why do you look so scared?" Seonghwa reached out to San, who was clutching onto Wooyoung. 

San and Wooyoung shrunk away from the touch as if they were electrified. 

Yunho grabbed Wooyoung and San from behind and pulled them away from Seonghwa and Mingi. "What do you want? We did nothing wrong. We never did anything to you. Is it because of me? You don't like it that I'm working with the government. You don't like it that you have to hide. And you think it's my fault. Then take it out on _me._ Wooyoung, San, and Yeosang has nothing to do with this."

Mingi and Seonghwa exchanged glances. There was a long silence before Mingi asked, "What do you mean? We just came to check on you! To see if...if..."

"If what? If Seonghwa-hyung's vision came true?! Well it did _just now_ because of _you_!"

Mingi made a confused noise.

Yunho stormed over to Mingi and raised his fist to land a punch, but Mingi caught it with one hand. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Did something happen?" Seonghwa cast a worried glance to Yunho, but that only made him angrier.

Then the words left Yunho's mouth. "You almost killed Wooyoung and San!" 

Hongjoong and Jongho appeared at this moment. "We didn't see-" They were saying something as they ran, but stopped once they saw what the scene in front of them. 

Jongho rushed to Yunho and pulled him away. "Hyung! Are you crazy? What are you doing?"

Yunho tried to shake his brother off, but Jongho was too strong. 

"We just arrived, Yunho." Hongjoong said. He managed to keep his voice steady. "Mingi couldn't have hurt any of you. We wouldn't have, either."

Yunho stopped struggling in Jongho's grip. "But I saw Mingi." He remembered the shirt and rephrased himself. "Your shirt. It's exactly the same. And...and only Jongho could've...could've suffocated us like that."

Jongho released Yunho at the mention of his name. He was puzzled, just like the three other members who just arrived.

"We'll figure this out later," said Yeosang. "Let's go back before anyone-" He stopped abruptly, his eyes fixed on something behind Hongjoong and Seonghwa.

Everyone followed Yeosang's gaze. 

Four more people were walking slowly towards them, and stopped just close enough for their faces to be visible.

"W-what...how is this possible?" 

It didn't matter who said it, because everyone was thinking the same thing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you sense the conflict coming? Seonghwa's vision is manifesting slowly, and whether it'll change along the way depends wholly on the members next move. I hope you're excited, because I got excited when proofreading it XD.
> 
> I am so sorry I have to leave you with a cliff hangar! I'll post the next chapter soon, so please stay tuned!


	35. Believe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Jongho, and Mingi met their clones, creating confusion within the group, which eventually built up to frustration and conflict.

The four newcomers looked exactly like Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Mingi, and Jongho. They looked worried too, but their expressions soon turned into ones of confusion when they, too, spotted their doppelgangers.

There were 2 Hongjoong, 2 Seonghwa, 2 Mingi, and 2 Jongho. It wasn't possible.

"Who-who are you?" Hongjoong no. 1 said to the second group - their "identical twins".

"Who are _you_?" Hongjoong no.2 shot back. "We came to check on our teammates. They might get in trouble with the government."

Wooyoung cursed loudly. "Who's the real one?"

"Shouldn't you be more worried about how this is possible?" Yeosang looked back and forth between the two groups of identical people frantically.

Yunho ignored Yeosang, still furious that his teammates - fake or not - tried to attack them. "Which one threw the barrel just now?" 

"I would never do that." Both Mingis spoke at the same time.

Yunho blinked at them and let out a long sigh as he rubbed his face with both of his hands. "This is not going to work." He turned to Wooyoung, San, and Yeosang. "Let's go. Before we get attacked again."

Wooyoung and San nodded, but Yeosang walked in front of Yunho and blocked his path. "Are you even seeing this?! Forget about our disputes for one second and open your eyes! There are 2 of each of our teammates. Duplicates. Isn't that enough evidence for you?"

"Yes. Evidence that they are messing with us," said Yunho flatly. 

Yeosang widened his eyes, ability of speech momentarily taken away. He blinked repeatedly to get a better look at the person in front of him. Then he felt a bump on his shoulder and broke out of his trance to see Yunho walking past him. 

"Wait!" Seonghwa no. 1 shouted. "We'll explain. We'll make you understand why we came." 

Yeosang knew that Seonghwa was ready to tell Yunho all the suspicious things Yeosang saw and learnt in the past few days. But Yunho didn't know about it, so he didn't give Seonghwa a chance. 

Yunho kept walking. He didn't even slow down.

"Hyung, please give us a chance!" 

Yunho stopped at the sound of his brother's voice. He could hear two people talking, but one of them was real and that was all Yunho needed to know. "I did. I let you go. You almost killed us without even blinking an eye and I let you go. I already gave you a chance." 

No one spoke. Biting his lips to keep in his tears, Yunho turned around and faced the group. "You don't even deserve a chance." This time the 'you' was plural. "You think this is all my fault. You could've tried harder to keep me but you waited until this moment to take it all away from me."

"We're not trying to take anything away from you," said Hongjoong no.2. "We're just trying to tell you that you're working with dangerous people so you can walk away yourself. Mingi and Yeosang saw things that make the government very suspicious."

Yunho looked at Yeosang. Then back at Hongjoong no.2. He only knew which one it was because the second group stood closer to a container. "Yeosang?" Realization hit him. "You two were working together behind my back?!"

"Wait, no, it's not how you think it is." Yeosang waved his hands to show Yunho he meant it. "We were just worried-"

"Stop saying that word!" Yunho had to clench his fists to stop him from unleashing his powers. "You're not worried, you just don't believe me!" After those words left his mouth, Yunho's anger dissipated slightly to reveal a deep pool of sorrow. "Yes, I worked with the government because I wanted to learn to control my powers. But I also did it so you guys can live normal lives without having to worry about being arrested."

Yunho found himself trying to avoid eye contact with any of his...any of the people in front of him. His eyes darted between the floor, the inky sky, and the ocean. 

"We understand that. But-" Yunho recognized Mingi's voice, but he didn't know which one of the two talked. It didn't matter though, because Yunho would be equally enraged.

"But you don't believe me!" Yunho completed the sentence, feeling himself heat up. His hands were tingling. Was it because of the wind? "You got so angry when someone ambushed you, remember? You believed it when he said that I was behind it. You didn't even think to confirm with me before you put all the blame on us!" 

The sound of someone landing hard on the ground startled Yunho. He saw the people around him gaping, their eyes widened in shock. Yunho followed their gaze and saw Mingi no.2 on the ground, holding his head, his face scrunched up. Yunho thought he was going to gasp, but a small noise came out of his throat instead and he put his hands over his mouth hastily. 

There was blood flowing out from underneath Mingi's hand. A small black object lay close to his head. A gun. Yunho was confused for a second, but when he saw Yeosang he remembered about the gun he was given to protect himself on their mission.

Finally the shock left Yunho's body and guilt crashed onto him like waves onto a beach. His looked at his hands. They were shaking. He did it again. He used his powers accidentally and hurt someone as a result.

"Let's go back, Yunho." Wooyoung said softly. "We shouldn't stay here." He took San and stepped away to give Yunho space.

The words sounded very distant to Yunho, as if he was wearing a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. But he heard it, and he knew Wooyoung meant him, not 'we'. Only he shouldn't stay here.

Yunho felt the impact before he even heard it coming. He stumbled backwards and nearly lost his balance when someone ran straight up to him and grabbed his collars tightly. He would've been lifted off the ground if it wasn't for the difference in height.

"Jongho, let go of m-"

A sharp sting on his right cheek interrupted him. The hotness of the slap spread through his face and neck quickly.

"Wake up!" The first time sounded angry.

"Hyung! Don't you see what you're doing? Wake up!" The second time lost some of its rage, replaced with exhaustion and weariness.

Yunho felt himself being shook back and forth. The mix of pain and nausea was enough to make him vomit. But he didn't deserve to be victim after what he did.

"Open your eyes and start looking. The real people you have to worry about aren't even here yet. _Please,_ hyung. _Wake up._ " By the third time, Jongho has lost all fight in him. Yunho was released. He looked away immediately, even though he could feel the hurt and disappointment radiating from Jongho's gaze.

Yunho squeezed his eyes and clenched his fists simultaneously, letting the sensation distract him from his emotions. From what he felt like he should do.

"You don't have to pretend. I know even you're disappointed in me. Now leave before I do anything else." He took control of Jongho's clothes and tugged at it to nudge him away.

"No!" Jongho fought the powers with his own, using the air behind him to push himself forward. When he got close enough, he punched Yunho, hoping to get some sense into him.

But that provoked Wooyoung, who was really frustrated with everyone getting in their way of doing things. He teleported behind Jongho and used his weight to tackle the younger onto the ground.

The commotion got everyone's attention back to Yunho. Mingi no. 1, who felt uncomfortable tending to his injured "twin", saw Jongho no. 1 being pinned on the ground and ran over. Before he could touch Wooyoung and pull him away, however, Yunho threw him off balance and he dropped onto the ground.

"Don't touch him," said Yunho. He signaled for Wooyoung to release Jongho. Then he stared at the 11 people in front of him. He trusted less than half of them. Or was it the other way round? That only a few people still believed him?

"I told you that we will all be back together in one group after this assignment. I told you that we can continue to _rightfully_ stop crimes using our powers. But you never believed me. So you keep trying to force me out of it." Yunho sniffed and gulped to get rid of the lump in his throat. "You didn't even sound like you wanted me back with you. You just wanted me to leave the government."

A suffocating silence settled over the 12 people.

Yunho waited just long enough for the feeling to go back to his legs - they had turned to jelly during his minor breakdown - before he turned around and walked away. He finally got it all out, and he finally understood what the others truly felt, when no one tried to stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two Hongjoongs, two Seonghwas, two Mingis, and two Jonghos. One group was definitely just the government in disguise, but how would Yunho and the others find out which? They would fight again if they didn't isolate the enemies soon.
> 
> Yunho wanted to walk away, but would that fix anything?


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunho found out who the real Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Jongho, and Mingi are, and they group together to fight new enemies.

Yunho, Wooyoung, and San took only a few steps when they were stopped in their tracks again by a series of shouts and curses.

When they turned around they saw Yeosang standing far away, watching Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Mingi, and Jongho fight their clones.

Acting purely on reflex and instincts, Yunho ran over to the group and looked for things that are light enough to be lifted with his telekinetic mind but heavy enough to deal damage to humans. It was when he raised his arm to control a nearby barrel when he realized he had no idea who he should be attacking.

He lost track of who belongs to which group - the ones who came first, or the ones who appeared later - and looking at clones confused his mind so much his body stopped completely.

"Yunho!"

Yunho snapped out of his thoughts just in time to see one of the Mingis rush towards him with a fist held high in the air. He watched Mingi land the punch, but before he felt the impact someone grabbed his sides and after a whoosh of air he was far away from the fight.

Wooyoung was the person who gave Yunho the heads up, and now he was staring at Yunho like he was crazy.

Instead of listening to what Wooyoung had to say, Yunho was lost in his own thoughts again. He looked at the people fighting and realized that one side must be the one at fault. One was fake. The other was real, but they did things that made Yunho lose all hope for them.

In the end, it didn't matter which side Yunho took.

Yunho ran towards the fight again, and this time he was ready. The barrel hit one of the Hongjoongs. His interference disrupted the balance between the doppelgangers who had the same powers, so now one team was winning. He didn't know which, but they seemed to know.

"Stop! You're fighting for the wrong side!" Jongho no.1 or 2 shouted, but Yunho didn't listen. He kept fighting whoever got close to him. At one point Wooyoung joined him too, but it was only to stop anyone from getting severely injured.

Yunho tried his best to avoid both Jonghos, but one of them - or both of them - kept sending attacks, slamming him onto the containers or suffocating him. His whole body was aching, but his hands and mind never stopped moving. 

Someone had to win in order for all this to stop.

A muffled scream caught Yunho's attention. He spun his head and found San, trapped under Seonghwa's grip. He couldn't believe that Seonghwa would be the person to do this, but it wasn't the time to think about these things.

Seonghwa pulled out a knife from nowhere and held it against San's throat. 

"Will you listen to me now?" Seonghwa's voice was just like Yunho knew it to be, but would the real Seonghwa ever talk like this? Yunho shook his head. Maybe he just didn't know Seonghwa well enough.

"I've listened enough. Unless you suddenly change your mind and say that you believe me, save your breath for something else." Yunho didn't want a second longer. He flicked his wrists and the knife flew off Seonghwa's grip. San broke away, leaving Yunho and Seonghwa in an awkward staring contest.

Yunho tried to look into Seonghwa's soft eyes, but all he could see was...well, his reliable hyung.

"You're the one who doesn't believe yourself!" said Seonghwa. But Yunho didn't see his mouth move. He turned around and found the other Seonghwa. 

He was on the ground, wheezing, probably under the effect of Jongho's powers. His voice was drowned among the shouts and cries, but Yunho heard it clearly, as if the sound was carried straight into his ears.

"What?" Yunho stared at Seonghwa. Something made him frown. 

"You said we never believed you." Seonghwa panted.

"So?" Yunho wondered why it was so quiet behind him. Did everyone stop fighting too?

"You never believed yourself since the mistake you made. You think you're not good enough for the group but have you ever thought about what we think? We believe in you, Yunho. We trust that you'll never hurt us, that you'll do the best for your group. And we believe in your powers. So we need you on our side when my vision comes true." 

Now everyone turned to Seonghwa. All of their eyes held a glint of understanding.

"He's the real one," Wooyoung whispered to Yunho.

Yunho's mind was sent back to that night. The same set of words. The same person. And he had thought Seonghwa was drunk. Seonghwa knew this would happen from the very beginning, but Yunho didn't listen to his warning.

He did something very stupid indeed.

Seonghwa exhaled sharply and then took in greedy gulps of breath. The fake Jongho had released him. 

Yunho smiled sadly. He wasn't sure how, but the sensation of his lips curling upwards magically lifted the imaginary boulder in his heart. Everything bad was out of his body in an instant, save for some remnants of guilt. He walked forward to pull Seonghwa up into a hug. 

"Wait! That's the marble like thing I saw that day!" Mingi no. 1 directed Yunho's attention back to the scene behind him.

Hongjoong no. 2, Seonghwa no. 2, Mingi no. 2, and Jongho no. 2 were standing in a circle around something. The rest of the team - the real ones - stood what Mingi said was a 'safe distance' away.

A soft glow illuminated the area around the mysterious doppelgangers. Then the light grew bigger and brighter, enclosing the four people around the object on the ground. 

"Close your eyes or look away!" Mingi warned.

The light disappeared abruptly, just like it would if you flicked off a light switch, and the group of 8 plunged into the darkness of the night once again.

"Now what?" asked Wooyoung, the innocence in his voice was comical. 

As if to answer him, around 20 men appeared from behind or inside metal containers and began charging towards them. All of them were wearing black outfits and a black cap. The only thing that made them stood out in the dark were the bright blue guns in each of their hands.

The same guns the government brought with them during the very first invasion.

Jongho reacted quickly and summoned a wind strong enough to blow half of the men away, but there were more coming.

Some people appeared out of no where a few inches away and Mingi had to punch them before they had a chance to use their guns.

San stood in the middle of his 7 teammates, trying really hard not to scream. He remembered the gun he was given before the assignment today, but he had a really bad feeling it wasn't going to do much against the mob. 

Wooyoung teleported to enemies hiding in unreachable places - behind or on top of metal containers - and perform surprise attacks before returning to the team. 

Hongjoong reached out to as many people as he could and forced into their minds the most painful things he could think of. Most of the affected people would collapse and scream in agony, but stronger ones would forge on and start shooting blindly. After a while Hongjoong changed tactic and made everyone go to sleep instead.

The fight was going relatively in their favour. Seonghwa could only stand and watch, but he made himself useful by comforting San and observing in case anything extraordinary popped out.

And it did.

The first sign came when Seonghwa felt a punch on his face. He snapped out of his daze quickly and looked for the attacker. But he didn't see anyone. Before he could make sense of what happened, he felt a stab of pain on his gut. Then his knees, and then his head, his sides, and his shoulders, until there wasn't a spot on his body that didn't ache.

San saw everything happen and cried out for help. His screams alerted Mingi, so he began throwing blind punches at the air around Seonghwa, who was laying slump on the ground.

After 10 misses, Mingi knew he was going no where. They had an invisible opponent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All 8 members are finally working together again! But the real fight had just began, and this time their opponents aren't just normal humans...


	37. Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things didn't seem to be doing well for Alternare as they fight their new opponents.

"Wooyoung, take Seonghwa-hyung somewhere safe. Quick!" Mingi was still whirling around, trying to figure out where the invisible opponent was. His senses were more sharpened and accurate than normal people, but with all the ruckus around him, there was no way he could hear footsteps or see the flying dust on the ground that would suggest someone stepped on the spot. 

Besides, he was still overcoming the shock that came from his unexpected opponent. If they had invisible people, what else could they have?

Wooyoung knelt by Seonghwa's crumpled body and cradled it gently. After a brief scan of Seonghwa's wounds, Wooyoung decided it was better to just bring him home.

When Wooyoung returned, things were worse than before. The majority of the men in all-black outfits were already taken out, but they had more opponents. Trickier ones.

The group of 7 stayed close together. As the feel the ground shake under their feet, see balls of flaming objects flying towards them, and hear ear-splitting sounds coming from nowhere, they realize at last who they were dealing with, and why. 

The severeness of the situation settled in slowly, like snow flurrying and finally landing on the curb, but none of the eight members - including Seonghwa back at base - let dread or fear distract them.

Knees bent slightly, Jongho had his arms stretched out pointing almost skywards, jaws clenched tightly as he concentrated on all the obstacles (some magical) that were flying towards the group. His jaws were clenched tightly. Perspiration dotted his forehead. He skidded backwards a few times, a sign that his makeshift shield wasn't going to last long.

A woman in bright red hair who seemed to be a pyrokinetic stood in the very center opposite of _Alternare,_ setting objects on fire with one touch of her hand and then using them as fireballs. Yunho tried to deflect the projectiles before they got close enough to burn any of his teammates, but blazing spots kept appearing out of nowhere, like tiny suns that were going to engulf them whole. He wanted to reuse them as their own weapons, but he feared that another obstacle would hit his teammates before he could make his attack. There were just too many. 

The heat from the fire was oppressive too, and instead of scalding their skin it baked them as if they were trapped in an oven. Their eyes watered and their awareness blurred as hot air blasted at their faces, but they focused on the fact that their skin was still intact.

A lanky man stood with his feet together to the left of the red-haired woman, his mouth slightly parted. He was the siren. The source of the high-pitched drone that drilled into Yunho, Hongjoong, Jongho, and Wooyoung's ears. The other members were unaffected, but it wasn't clear whether it was because the man's power had a limit to the number of people he could affect at the same time, or because he could only target elite super humans like himself.

"Can we get rid of that guy somehow?" Wooyoung winced, bouncing on one foot as an attempt to shake off the noise. "I go off-track when I teleport with this thing in my head."

Jongho looked at his hands, still stretched above his eye level towards a layer of dense air around his team. He could see the air in its molecular form, the particles trembling with energy, struggling to break free of Jongho's grasp and spread apart like they ought to by nature.

The shield - with very high air resistance - was the only thing that could slow down incoming projectiles enough for people within its protection to dodge in time.

With Yunho deflecting the deadly fireballs and Jongho being responsible for the team's defenses, only Hongjoong had the ability to stop the siren without having to walk out of the safe zone.

"I'll watch your back." Knowing Hongjoong closed his eyes to concentrate, Yunho stepped closer to the leader.

Hongjoong faced his target and let his eyelids fall shut slowly. The shrill noise was hurting his head, but all the headaches he had due to stress was conveniently helping him in this situation. Reading and controlling the mind of another super human was something Hongjoong couldn't do, but there was no other thing to do in this type of situation. He had to at least try.

After hitting a few walls and dead ends, Hongjoong's limbs were starting to give up on him. He was about to surrender when he felt his head unblock and empty its contents, followed by a satisfying rush of relief and comfort. His ears were once again filled with the commotion of the battle and the barely noticeable waves from the ocean.

"You did it, he's confused," said Yunho, but there were no smile on his grim face. 

There were still two problematic challengers standing opposite of them, and the siren man wasn't going to stay confused for long. 

"Mingi, how are you holding up?" Hongjoong wanted to turn around to find his teammate but instead had to duck to avoid an incoming piece of scrap metal that was on fire. He felt it scrape the tip of his hair and he shivered.

"I'm fine!" Mingi shouted back. His bruised face would say the opposite, though. One of his eyes were swollen, his cheeks were red, patches of blue and purple covered his neck, and at least his nose was bleeding. 

However, the state of his face was a small price to pay for the capture of the invisible man. Mingi was sitting on the man - he assumed since the person never said anything but was really strong and nimble - just in case he/she woke up from his/her coma. 

Yeosang watched attacks being sent back and forth between the two parties and found no sign of the battle ending soon. Dread crept to the back of his mind like a bug on the underside of a leaf. "This is not going to end well for us if we don't make a move."

Suddenly the floor began shaking vigorously, throwing everyone off balance. Only Mingi kept steady in his position because he was already on the floor. 

Jongho's gasp never made it out of his throat as he thudded onto the ground and without standing back up he threw his arms above his head to rearrange the already scattered air molecules. 

Hongjoong found the person - a woman with short black hair and blue highlights standing right of the pyrokinetic woman - and tried reaching for her mind as well, but his nerves were buzzing with so much anxiety it was impossible for him to calm down. 

Wincing, Yunho hurried to parry the incoming fireballs. His eyes were burning almost as fiercely as the blazing objects, from staring at the mini suns. A few landed just inches away from Jongho and Hongjoong. Yeosang and San were safer in the middle, and Wooyoung could teleport if things did get unlucky. 

"We have to counterattack!" Yeosang's suggestion was no help to the fighting power, but at least it kept the capable ones on track. 

Unfortunately, it all came too late.

Yunho's heart nearly leapt out of his chest when Mingi cursed loudly. The invisible man was on the loose again.

"That bastard!" Mingi hissed, too busy applying pressure to the bleeding wound on his arm to notice where his previous prisoner was headed. Not that he could really tell anyway. 

A sharp glint at the corner of his eye caught Yunho's attention at the very last moment. One moment later and he would be living the rest of his life with regret.

Yunho turned his head and saw a person flashing in and out of appearance. The person didn't stay visible long enough for Yunho to discern his gender, and Yunho had no idea why that person didn't just stay invisible, but none of that mattered to him. 

Because what mattered was the small flash that called out to Yunho's eyes like a beacon to a ship. 

Yunho saw the knife in that person's hand. And that person was going straight for Jongho.

Yunho's mind went blank. His legs moved. He ran. At least, he thought he did. Because he couldn't have used his powers on someone who was constantly evading his vision. So he must've ran, because that was the only way. And he made it just in time. 

Because when he came to his senses again he saw a deep cut down his shirt, and blood was pouring out of it, soaking the fabric into a deep red color. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there was a pyrokinetic, a siren, an invisible person, and someone who could create earthquakes. Will Alternare successfully win this war against four people with much more destructive powers?


	38. Conflict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone else gets hurt in this chapter so it might be a bit sad...and Alternare has to confront a new enemy again!

Jongho watched with widened eyes as his brother jumped in front of him and pushed him away. The next thing he knew he was on the ground, staring at the blood, too shocked to say anything.

Mingi sprang to action when he saw Jongho's shaken state. He flailed his limbs everywhere, putting the most power he could into them. The ground was still shaking. The siren came back. Somewhere around him more flaming objects were probably going straight for him. The invisible man still had the knife. But Mingi didn't care. His fingers grazed what felt like a piece of cloth and they curled in to take hold, but there was blood on his fingers and the cloth slipped away.

In a fit of rage Hongjoong managed to confuse the pyrokinetic woman enough for her to keep missing her shots. At least the most dangerous enemy was made less threatening.

Wooyoung held Yunho carefully, supporting his neck and spine with his arms. Yunho's lips were trembling, but his mutters were swallowed by the chaos surrounding him, the instant they left his mouth. One of his hands - covered in fresh blood - was covering his wound on his lower right abdomen, but the other was lying limply on the ground on his left side, fingers twitching weakly.

Wooyoung's heart raced at the sight of Yunho's pale face. "It's okay, Yunho. You'll be okay. I'm bringing you to the hospital." Wooyoung hated himself for sounding so uncertain and scared and _panicked._ But he couldn't help it, because that was exactly how he felt. Cold sweat covered every inch of his exposed skin as he realized how unlikely he would be able to teleport to the desired destination in the state he was in. The high frequency noise that droned on and on didn't help at all.

Yeosang slapped and shook and shouted at Jongho to bring him back to reality. Jongho's eyes were hollow, looking through things without actually putting the information into his head. Shut down was the window connecting his soul to the outside world. He heard Yeosang's shouts as if he was underwater because of the ringing in his ears, and somehow he knew the sound wasn't coming from the siren. 

Hongjoong was starting to get light-headed from all the mind-controlling. The bitterness from not being able to do more made him avert his gaze whenever his eyes landed on one of the members.

The knife wound on Mingi's arm stopped bleeding, but it was still throbbed along with every beat of his heart, and the fury and dread that filled his blood only added to the pain. 

"Where's San?" Wooyoung just returned from bringing Yunho to the hospital. His voice, so fragile from fear that it might break, was the thing that broke Jongho out of his trance. He wasn't going to let a friend's fate end up like his. "They took San!" 

Jongho followed Wooyoung's line of sight and found San, clawing at a strong arm wrapped around his neck. He flinched and froze when the man pointed a gun at his head.

The world seemed to stop just then. The ground stopped shaking, the man finally closed his mouth and put an end to the horrible noise, and the red-haired woman wasn't setting things on fire anymore.

"San!" Wooyoung's vehement cry pierced through the silence. 

Hongjoong saw Wooyoung's clenched fists and his calculating gaze on the sea of flaming debris that stood between him and San. His head throbbed when he realized what Wooyoung was about to do. Hongjoong was halfway between running towards Wooyoung and shouting at him to not teleport away when an invisible force hit Wooyoung and he stumbled and fell backwards.

"No one's bringing you to the hospital if anything happens to you." 

Puzzled, Wooyoung looked over his shoulder and saw Jongho staring back at him.

"Who are you and what do you want?!" Mingi surprised everyone by making the first move. His booming voice traveled to the other side easily. 

The man holding San looked very tall even from afar. His hair was a deep blue, like the night sky above minus the stars. He had a normal gun pointed at San, but an unmistakable glow at his waist marked the the presence of a light blue gun. The weapons designed specifically to strip super humans of their powers. 

Hongjoong, Yeosang, Wooyoung, and Jongho took a few steps forward and joined Mingi. They heard a soft chuckle and felt their nerves spike. 

San was ushered forward by the blue-haired man. The pyrokinetic and her teammates followed. "Be careful. My fingers might slip if you make any big movements."

Wooyoung trembled with anger. He had to squeeze his toes, curl his fingers, and tense every muscle in his body to stay put. So close, yet so far. 

Hongjoong took a deep breath and nodded to the redheaded woman. "You have your own share of special humans. And they damaged a lot of government property just now." Hongjoong couldn't help but smirk when he saw the man's face darken. "Why do you want us too? I don't think it's to watch us fight." 

"Watch what you say." The man lifted his thumb. He lowered the hammer. The click made San flinch involuntarily, but his eyes remained strong, his gaze hard.

Unable to hold back, Wooyoung took a small step forward. Hongjoong squeezed his arm and pulled him back. Jongho made a side way glance at the small exchange. Every single movement made him nervous. 

"What do you want?" Mingi asked again. His impatience was a dangerous animal that might pounce unexpectedly, a faulty switch that might flick on randomly. 

The man sighed. "I thought you would've figured it by yourselves by now. But I guess our plan to separate your group did work a bit, after all."

Mingi made an irritated noise. Yeosang spoke to stop Mingi from unleashing his anger. "No, it didn't. It was our own fault we let conflict separate us. It had nothing to do with you."

Hongjoong stared hard at the blue-haired man. So hard he could make out the pupil sitting in the middle of his brown iris. 

The man scoffed. "How pathetic. I can't say you're wrong, though. It's your fault for bringing a normal person into your team. He's just a weakness." He pressed the gun hard against San's head. He jabbed it twice.

Jongho stopped paying attention. He opened his ears to the roaring fire that still hasn't died down thanks to the woman's fiery touch. The fire crackled. The red hot metal scraps grated against each other. His eyes landed on the blue gun holstered on the man's waste, then on the woman with the blue highlight in hair, then on a flaming piece of metal next to his feet, and finally back to San. 

"What's wrong? Did you run out of words to say?" The man threw his head back and laughed. His finger twitched against the trigger, the nozzle still pointed towards San. "Or do you just want me to finish my job quickly?" 

Hongjoong blinked, but he maintained eye contact with the man. He tucked his right arm behind his back and lifted it very slowly behind Mingi. He nudged Yeosang's back. 

Yeosang felt all his blood rush to his brain. He grabbed Mingi's wrist and gave it a warning squeeze because he knew there was no more patience left to grind. He could feel Mingi's pulse against his palm. The ridges of his bulging veins.

Jongho felt Yeosang's fingers graze his hand lightly. He gave San an almost imperceptible nod. Then he looked at the gun pointed at San. A strong gust of wind ruffled San's hair. The gun clattered to the ground, useless.

There was a split second of silence. Then chaos broke out again.

Mingi lunged for the light blue gun before the blue-haired man could get a hold of it. Mingi tried to snatch it away but the man was stronger than he thought. Mingi lost balance and fell on his back with the weight of a full-grown man on top of him. The man was trying to twist the gun towards Mingi, but Mingi wrapped his hands around the gun and pushed. His knuckles immediately turned white from exertion, but he was still trapped in a disadvantageous position. 

Realizing he had to find a way to change his position, Mingi twisted his body and they rolled sideways. Now Mingi was on top of the man. He trapped one of the man's legs between his and knocked him out with a punch. Mingi pried open the man's fingers and took the gun. 

As he stood up, Mingi turned around and swung his arm, hitting a person's neck with the butt of his gun. Mingi smirked at the siren, who was now lying on the floor unconscious. He could spend a few more minutes making fun of the man's terrible sneaking skills, but he had friends to save.

Hongjoong and Wooyoung was having trouble with the red-haired woman. Wooyoung teleported behind her for a surprise attack, but the she spun around quickly and slapped Wooyoung with a burning hand before he could do anything. At the same time she leaned forward and shot out her right leg to kick Hongjoong, who was standing right behind her. 

Wooyoung's cheek was burned and Hongjoong's clothes had holes in them. Wooyoung was able to teleport to safety, but Hongjoong laid on the floor, hugging his stomach. The woman was approaching him with a small ball of fire in her palm. Hongjoong pushed himself backwards inch by inch with his legs, but the fire was advancing very quickly. He squeezed his eyes and sweated profusely, feeling the first sting of fire tickling his skin-

His face cooled suddenly. Hongjoong opened his eyes and saw the woman on the floor. A hand appeared in his vision. He grabbed it and let Mingi pull him up. 

Mingi caught Hongjoong eyeing the gun in his hands. "I didn't use it. I won't until it's absolutely necessar-"

The floor beneath them started cracking up. Mingi looked down and yelped when he saw an actual split in the ground. Beyond the concrete and soil he saw nothing but darkness that was even darker than the night sky. He pulled his legs together so they were on one side of the hole, and then reached over and pulled a shell-shocked Hongjoong next to him. They took big steps backward and stared in horror.

The little crack had grown into a small cavern big enough for a whole person to fall through. 

As Mingi helped Wooyoung and Hongjoong, Jongho battled the invisible man. 

To his relief, Jongho was able to figure out his opponent's location because he could sense the air moving around him. He had to concentrate to get his brain and body moving at the same time, but his burning desire to avenge Yunho made it a little easier.

Jongho stood very still, trying to feel where the man was. He sensed a movement in front of him and punched hard. His fist went straight through the air. Jongho cursed and tried not to think about the fact that the man was probably laughing silently. 

Jongho had barely composed himself when he felt a small rush of air at his side and twisted his upper body in reflex. He barely dodged the knife that had stabbed Yunho moments before, but Jongho didn't know that, and he'd rather not think about it as he threw his fists again. This time they landed on human flesh. 

Jongho heard a groan. He swung his leg and landed a lucky kick. The person must've fell because Jongho heard a thump. Then he saw what his opponent looked like for the first time. 

His fists were already prepared for another hit, but they hung above Jongho's head when he saw the person lying on the ground. He had brown hair -- the exact same shade as Yunho's -- but the thing that made Jongho hesitate was how young he looked. 

"Before you kill me," the boy said. Jongho blinked in confusion, but couldn't quite put down his arm once he remembered what that kid did to Yunho. "Can you show me what your powers can do?"

Jongho's arm dropped to his side. His fists loosened. He stared at the teenage boy by his feet, the bitter smile on his lips and the resigned look in his eyes, but had no idea what to say. 

He didn't have to anyway, because the ground vibrated intensely and a blood-curdling scream ripped through the air. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was yet another enemy -- a man with dark blue hair. He seemed to lead his own team of super humans, but what was his true intentions? San was saved but they are fighting once again, and things didn't look good with the giant hole in the ground...
> 
> I hope you're looking forward to the next chapter!
> 
> And by the way, I'm sure you're all enjoying ATEEZ's comeback! Let's support them as much as we can!


	39. Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a near-death, the fight ended with no winners, but all the answers were finally found.

Mingi and Hongjoong looked around, but they couldn't find the woman with the blue highlights in her hair. She must've had the powers to control the ground to some extent, which made her responsible for the big crack in the ground. 

The ground wasn't shaking anymore, but that wasn't enough to provide any sort of relief or security. She could be hiding somewhere, waiting for another chance to attack. 

Wooyoung joined them again after checking on San and Yeosang, who were hiding safely behind a metal container far away from this mess. Things were finally looking a bit calmer, but no one dared let down their guards.

Their opponents were only unconscious, not dead. And what about back up? The government definitely had more people than the ones that have already been taken down. 

They had to put a proper end to this, make sure there were no more misunderstandings, before they could leave this all behind. 

"Let's help Jongho first," said Hongjoong. 

Mingi nodded and was about to run to Jongho when he saw a familiar face. "San?"

"What are you doing here?!" Wooyoung went up to San and held his arms. He realized that his angry tone must've scared San, so he softened his eyes. "You should go back to Yeosang, it's not safe yet."

"He's righ-" 

A deep, reverberating crack interrupted Hongjoong. The floor jerked abruptly.

Wooyoung could only stare wide-eyed as San slipped out of his grasp and fell down a hole that appeared out of nowhere. He heard a scream, but he wasn't sure if it came from San, or from him.

Wooyoung dropped onto the floor. His chest ached from the impact as he reached down with an arm and grip blindly. A sigh escaped his mouth when he felt his fingers wrap around a skinny wrist. 

"I'll pull you up!" Wooyoung tried his best to sound reassuring, but his voice still trembled from fear and exertion. San wasn't heavy, but Wooyoung wasn't strong. And his free hand that supported him on the ledge was starting to shake. 

Mingi edged carefully towards Wooyoung, aware of the cracks spreading underneath Wooyoung's body like spiderwebs. 

Jongo ran over to help, leaving the teenage boy behind. Hongjoong didn't let Jongho get close to Wooyoung or Mingi.

"Hold on!" Wooyoung shouted when he felt his sweaty palm starting to lose grip on San's wrist. 

San squeezed Wooyoung's wrist but didn't say anything. It was too dark to see his face. 

After what seemed like ages, Mingi knelt down and grabbed Wooyoung by the shoulders. He pulled, slowly first, but increased his speed and force when he heard more unsettling cracks. 

"Don't go too fast!" cried Wooyoung. Mingi was practically pulling him away from San. 

"I have to! It's going to-" Mingi didn't bother finishing the sentence. He stood up, bringing Wooyoung with him, just as he felt the ground give way beneath him.

Wooyoung thrashed in Mingi's arms, screaming for San. He could still feel San's wrist in his empty hands. Mingi bit his lip, ignoring Wooyoung's punches and scratches. 

Hongjoong put one hand over his mouth. He looked away from Wooyoung and the dark void.

Jongho could hear his heart pumping in his ears. He was close enough to the edge that he could actually see the darkness that stretched endlessly down below. He shut his eyes and fought to keep his heart steady. Then he gathered the air inside the hole.

A handful of air started swirling around, facilitating air movement, which eventually grew into wind. He could feel a large body displacing the air. Flying was something he never tried before, but he had tested that theory a million times using different objects. 

Jongho felt a headache creeping in. He pushed it aside.

Birds flew with the help of wind. Many things in the air do that. 

So why couldn't he?

Jongho opened his eyes when he felt wind blowing at his face. His eyes watered almost instantly. He could barely stand still, but he saw a hint of peach in the hole and that was all it took for him to gather the strength to walk.

He stretched out his hand and took San's arm. He made sure San was on sturdy ground before he passed out.

-

Police sirens roused Jongho from his sleep. They were growing progressively louder, and the noise reminded him of the siren guy. He groaned and tried to sit up. He pushed against something soft and realized he was sitting on a mattress. Something slid away from his forehead and dropped onto his lap. A warm towel.

He blinked at the brightness around him. He was in an ambulance. 

"You're awake!" San was sitting next to Jongho, a blanket around him. San put down a cup and took another one beside him. "Here, have some water." 

Jongho took it and emptied it in one gulp. "What happened?" Memories from seconds before he fainted resurfaced. "Are you okay? Where's everyone else? They're okay, right? Are the police coming? Aren't they working for the government too?"

San smiled and took the cup from Jongho. "Slow down. You'll get all the answers soon." 

Jongho took San's outstretched hand and got off the bed.

The police cars had arrived by the time Jongho and San exited the ambulance. There were no more sirens, just flashing blue and red lights. Uniformed officers stood by their cars. Some were already putting handcuffs on people - the men in all black who were lucky enough to survive the battle between two groups of super humans.

One black car stood out from the police cars. Hongjoong, Yeosang, Wooyoung, and Mingi were standing with the six other people - the red-haired pyrokinetic, the woman who created the holes and earthquakes, the man who could make ear-splitting noises, the teenage boy who could go invisible, and two men in suits who looked like detectives. 

The blue-haired man who almost killed San was no where to be seen.

The red-haired woman was speaking as Jongho and San approached the group. "I have one last question. Why didn't you kill us? You had so many chances. You had the blue guns." 

Hongjoong acknowledged Jongho and San with a smile. Then he turned to the woman and replied, "Because we're the same as you."

"We tried to kill you," the teenager said, his voice timid. When he met eyes with Jongho he immediately diverted his gaze. 

"You could've gotten the guns too. But you didn't." Hongjoong looked around at his teammates. All of them nodded. 

"Your powers are more destructive and dangerous than ours," Hongjoong continued. "You injured two of our teammates." He eyed Jongho and stopped himself before he got into more detail about Yunho being in the hospital. "But you never actually tried. You couldn't kill us."

The red-haired woman took a step forward. "What do you mean we didn't try?" The underlying hostility in her voice was obvious.

"That's not-" Hongjoong hastened to correct his words, but someone else interrupted.

"Stop it, Jeonghui." The siren man pulled the woman, Jeonghui, back towards him. Jongho was surprised by how soft and gentle his normal voice was. "Why are you still fighting? It's over now. He's right, we just don't have it in us."

Everyone fell quiet, as if they all understood something and was pondering over it. Jongho was the only one who felt weird in the silence, who still had a lot of unanswered questions.

"I'm sorry, but can someone fill me in on what I missed when I was lying unconscious at the back of an ambulance?"

Hongjoong, San, Yeosang, Mingi, and Wooyoung laughed. The others smiled. Even the detectives, who only wanted to get their jobs done.

"Basically," Mingi began, excited to be the one to share their moment of triumph. 

"It's our fault, so we're sorry." The teenage boy cut in, bowing his head in shame. He shrank under Mingi's annoyed glare.

"What are you talking about? It's not our fault, it's Il-seong's fault! He got us into this mess." Jeonghui grabbed the boy's arm and turned him around to face her.

Jongho looked from one person to the other, trying to piece the bits together. This was when one of the detectives stepped in. 

He introduced himself as detective So. "Everyone, the explanation will never end like this. Let me put this into a simplified, objective version."

Jongho introduced himself too, and nodded. They walked to the side, away from the noise of people chatting and the commotion of police doing their work.

"One of your teammates called the police. The phone call was made in a hospital. When we arrived we saw a suspicious man running towards the highway from the port. His name is Jung Ilseong, the person behind all this."

"The man with the dark blue hair?"

"Yes. He has blue hair. You weren't fighting anymore, when we found you. So we started questioning people. Ilseong works for the government in research. But he had his own secret investigation of some sort. Turns out the four super humans were working for him since years ago, but he never made it public."

"Because he would have to reveal his secret investigation?"

The detective nodded. "Things became a problem when you came around."

"We destroyed a lot of things."

"Well, yes, but that's not the reason."

"No?" 

"He was jealous of you," another voice replied.

Jongho turned around and almost bumped into the teenage boy. He looked back at the detective, not understanding. 

"Ilseong wanted his team to be like yours. He thought his team would be able to help the police force, but he wasn't sure what the public would think of it. He tried tricking you to join him first, but he realized that wasn't working very well when only half of your team joined. So his next plan was to make you hate each other, so you would finish yourselves off. But that didn't work either."

"And he never got us to agree with his plans," said the boy. "We're happy that there's more like us, but we're not as heroic as you are. We're too scared to fight. We're trapped with Ilseong because we don't want people to know about us. But we just want to live normal lives."

"So why..."

"He promised he would let us go without telling anyone about us if we killed all of you. So we came, but we couldn't do it. He just wants to accomplish something to gain acknowledgement and credit for his work. He doesn't care about any of us, he doesn't actually care about catching criminals. We don't want to help him." 

"But we do," the detective said. "Care about catching criminals, I mean. A lot of us do, actually. _Alternare_ has a lot of fans. But we never knew who you were. Until now."

Jongho smiled. It felt weird on his lips, almost foreign. 

"Well, we have to go now. We'll probably contact you again in the future. Just standard protocol. But you're free to go." 

"Thank you." Jongho watched the detective walk back to his partner. He was walking towards his teammates when he felt a tap on his shoulders. He turned around and saw the teenager, who was staring at his feet.

"I heard from your friends." His voice was so quiet Jongho could barely hear it. "I'm sorry, about your brother." He mustered up the courage to look up, but only held eye contact for a second before he began bowing in apology.

Jongho watched the boy and tried to find the suitable thing to say. Maybe it was because his body was still recovering after fainting. Maybe he was just too tired from the battle. Either way, he couldn't find a single hint of anger inside his heart.

When the boy finally stood up straight again, Jongho asked, "My brother is strong. I'm sure he's fine."

Taken aback by the response, the boy blinked at him. 

"What's your name?"

"Myeongjun."

Jongho looked at the boy he knew now as Myeongjun. He would just be a normal person if nothing had happened between them, and that was exactly how Jongho had felt. It was as if he woke up from a nightmare, and when you did you wouldn't keep trying to remember the horror story, especially if you knew it was fake. 

You would sleep again and when a nice dream came by, you would wake up and start your day normally.

It was easier to understand when Jongho thought of it as a nightmare.

He reached out his hand and patted the boy's shoulder. "Remember to visit my brother some time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jongho fainted so he didn't know, but the other group of superhumans couldn't fight anymore after almost killing San, an innocent person. Seonghwa's vision ended in a somewhat "happy" way, but the main culprit Ilseong ran away. For now though, Alternare is back together and will go back to being who they once were.
> 
> The story is finally coming to an end! There are only two chapters left after this, so I'd be grateful if you stuck till the very end :)


	40. Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of 2ho in this chapter :)
> 
> Jongho visited Yunho in the hospital and explained everything to him.

"Don't come in."

All of the members were there, even Seonghwa, who still had bruises all over his body. They stood at the doorway, behind a half closed door that led to Yunho's hospital ward. 

They had to wait until visiting hours before coming, so they returned home after that eventful night, barely got any sleep, and then cleaned themselves up to look more presentable.

Jongho peeked inside.

Yunho was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. A thin blue blanket covered his body. His arms laid on top, so Jongho could see the tube coming out of the back of Yunho's hand that connected to an IV drip. Next to his bed was a really simple cabinet, and on it a plain pitcher and an even plainer cup sat on top of a plastic tray. The pitcher was full, and the cup was upside down. On the other side of the bed, there were some neatly folded clothes on the chair meant for visitors. Jongho knew at first glance that they belonged to Yunho. 

If you ignored the clothes and Yunho on the bed, the room looked untouched.

Jongho's gaze lingered on his brother's side profile for a while. "I'm coming in." He turned around and mouthed at the others stay outside, then stepped inside quietly, gripped the metal handle, and carefully slid the door close.

"I told you not to." 

Jongho picked up the stack of clothes and put them on his lap as he sat down. Yunho shuffled and turned to his side so he wouldn't have to face Jongho. He hissed and touched the side of his abdomen, where the wound was. 

"Does it hurt a lot?" Jongho stared at the back of Yunho's head, the brown hair. When he shifted his gaze he spotted his hands resting on the pile of clothes. He had unconsciously clenched them. Why was he nervous?

Yunho shook his head.

Suppressing the urge to sigh or shout or do both, Jongho thought of another way to start the conversation. "Everyone's waiting for you outside."

Yunho laid still. He was facing a window, but the bed was too low for him to look outside in this position. He could only see the blue sky. "Tell them to leave. I don't want anyone to comfort me. I know I made a huge mistake and you being here just makes me feel worse."

"You wouldn't have let me in if you really don't want me to." Jongho's fists unclenched.

Yunho took a moment to reply. "I don't want to use my powers on insignificant things."

"Like pushing me outside?" A smile formed on Jongho's lips. "Don't you want to know what happened?"

"You're fine. That's all I need to know. At least I can feel less guilty."

"Someone was conducting a secret research on superpowers-"

Yunho turned over suddenly. He lied on his back again. "I don't care."

Jongho was slightly upset from being interrupted, but Yunho tilted his head and when their eyes met a moment of understanding crossed between them.

"Yea. Why care so much?"

Jongho reached for the pitcher and poured water into the cup.

"I don't want water." Adjusting the bed, Yunho sat up anyway, wincing as he did.

Jongho set down the pitcher with a clunk and blinked at Yunho. "Who said it was for you?" Then he took a long gulp, exaggerating the sipping noises.

Yunho's eyes were fixed on the cup. When Jongho tilted his head backwards to pour in the last mouthful, Yunho gave the cup a little nudge.

Jongho choked and pulled the cup away from his mouth. The lower half of his face was wet, and some water was dripping off his chin.

"Aish, why are so clumsy?" Yunho tsked, took the cup from Jongho, and pointed at the box of tissues next to the pitcher.

Jongho glared at Yunho and the smile that was tugging at his lips.

Yunho's playful mood encouraged Jongho to push further. "Do you think we're here only to comfort you?" said Jongho as he wiped his face. "We're angry too, you know?"

The sun splashed a golden pool of light onto Yunho's bedsheets. His hands were laying there, but he retracted his arms and put them near his body, where the sunlight couldn't reach.

"I know. I didn't listen to all your warnings. I didn't even care about Wooyoung and Yeosang and San's safety. I did this all for myself. I'm selfish." Yunho touched his wound again. "When I realized that I was wrong, I tried to help, but I couldn't even do that properly. I don't deserve your forgiveness, so don't come here anymore, unless you're here to vent your anger."

"That's nonsense!" Jongho softened his tone when he saw Yunho's the end of his eyes droop. "Everything you said was right, except for the part about helping. You got injured because you tried to save me. You're not the only one who's guilty."

Yunho fidgeted with his fingers and looked out the window. He could see more than the sky now, but looking at the buildings and the people reminded him how different he was. And how bad he was at being different. "Anyone would've done that. It's not a big deal. If anything, I've given you one more thing to worry about. I really don't deserve you." 

The suppressed sigh finally escaped Jongho's mouth. He leaned forward, held Yunho's hand, and stuffed something into his palm. "You do, because we didn't care enough about you." 

"What's this?" Yunho flattened the crumpled item with his fingers. His eyes widened when he realized what they were looking at. "How-?"

"Hongjoong-hyung found it by accident in your room one day," explained Jongho. He smiled, glad that he could finally see Yunho's brown eyes. "We never took you seriously. We should've tried harder to understand you. Then maybe you would've listened to our warnings."

"But-" Yunho lifted the name card, the one he received secretly from Kim ages ago, but Jongho raised a hand to stop him. 

"Do you remember how we got together as a team?" Jongho shifted in his seat and straightened his back. "We talked to each other and shared moments together until we knew each other even better than we knew ourselves. We found one thing all of us wanted to do, and that's why Seonghwa-hyung gave us our first mission."

Yunho narrowed his eyes. "I don't like the feeling I'm getting. Like I'm being lectured by my little brother."

Jongho burst into a fit of laughter, as if he was a bubble being popped. He clamped his hand over his mouth when he remembered the manners he should have in public places. "What I'm saying is we communicated well in order to work well. But we're giving each other too much privacy. We ended up not understanding each other enough. Hongjoong-hyung let us decide for ourselves, whether we want to join Ilseong - I mean, the government, but he really should've pushed us. Pushed you, to side with him."

A light thump from behind Jongho caught Yunho's direction. "What was that?" He examined the closed door. "It sounded like it came from the door. Is someone trying to come in?"

"What? I didn't hear anything." Jongho looked behind his shoulder and chuckled awkwardly. He placed his hands next to his thighs and squeezed the sides of the chair.

Yunho shrugged. "So can you get to the point?"

Biting his inner cheek, Jongho thought of a way to summarize everything in one sentence. "All this time we tricked ourselves into thinking that we are divided into two parties just because we have different opinions. After we battled with other super humans and ended up with a truce or a tie or whatever you want to call it, we realized that we, individually, are the enemies. We hid everything to ourselves and failed to understand each other, which is why we had conflict in the first place. If we tried to open up, we would realize we all want the same thing. So in a way, it's no one's fault, and yet we're all at fault. So don't blame yourself."

A tiny smile appeared on Yunho's lips. He had, subconsciously, figured it by himself while he laid in the hospital bed, and all he needed was someone to confirm it. 

Jongho relaxed in his chair, and almost instantly the door banged open and the rest of the 6 members rushed in.

"Choi Jongho! You stole ALL of my lines." Seonghwa raised his arm and feigned hitting Jongho, but ended up rubbing his fist against the younger's head.

Yunho pressed against his pillow in pleasant surprise, and to avoid the small quarrel between Jongho and everyone else.

"Ah-aaahh!" Jongho screamed, failing to keep his volume at an indoor level.

"You took all the credit from Seonghwa-hyung!" Wooyoung complained too.

Jongho laughed shamelessly and shielded his head halfheartedly from the playful punches.

Yunho looked past the squabble among the younger members at Seonghwa and Hongjoong.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel inadequate. But you really are an important mem...part of us," said Hongjoong.

Seonghwa nodded. "Get well soon." He pointed at his head. "The dreams never stopped, so we have a lot to do."

A sudden burning sensation came to Yunho's eyes and he had to blink it away as the words left his mouth.

"Thank you."

Yunho lifted his hand to wipe the tears away. When he placed them back down, they were laying on his thighs, under the warmth of the sun's rays.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for the 2ho fans!!! I added some funny parts to lighten the mood so I hope you laughed or at least smiled 😂
> 
> It might seem like the end of the story but there's still one more left! The last chapter will be an epilogue where all the members are going on a final mission together, so if you want to see them fight again, make sure to check out the last chapter!


	41. 3 Months Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternare went on a final mission together, but this time, they did things a little bit differently.

"Are you ready?" Hongjoong whispered to his teammates.

To his left were Wooyoung and Yunho, and to his right were Mingi and Jongho. They were hiding behind a row of decorative bushes, peeking between the plants at a mansion. Without all the lights, the huge house looked like a hibernating beast.

On the other side of the courtyard, Yeosang, San, and Seonghwa were on standby. They had no weapons, but they did all the research and had the detailed map of this place ingrained into their brains. Seonghwa had the basement and the outdoor section, San had the first floor, and Yeosang had the second floor, including the rooftop.

Seonghwa spoke into the Bluetooth headset. "The thieves are already inside."

The occupants of the house - a family of four plus two dogs - were oblivious to the threat inside their property, and, according to Seonghwa's vision, would stay oblivious unless someone interfered.

"I'm going in," said Wooyoung. "I don't know where I'm going to end up at, so I'll need some directions when I get in."

"I'm ready when you are," said Yeosang. 

"We're ready too," said Yunho. They would be staying outside in case the burglars escaped.

Wooyoung nodded at Mingi and reach out an arm. They were gone the moment Mingi touched Wooyoung. 

"Seriously, a bathroom?!" Mingi said after his eyes adjusted to the dark - which took virtually no time at all.

"What do you want me to do about it? I can only teleport to a _general_ area if I've never actually seen the place with my own eyes," Wooyoung countered.

"Which floor are you on?" Yeosang's voice refocused Wooyoung and Mingi's attention on their mission.

Wooyoung and Mingi walked out the bathroom and found themselves on a hallway. "First," they both said at the same time when they saw staircases leading both up and down.

Knowing there was only one bathroom on the first floor, San said, "Turn right - the right when you walk out the bathroom - and the second door to your left will be the study. Check there first. And be quiet."

The reply came after a minute. "No one's inside, but the safe is already cracked opened. It's empty. And we don't hear anything at all."

"That's because the walls are soundproof, Mingi." Yeosang face-palmed himself even though Mingi couldn't see it. Seonghwa and San chuckled.

"Then you have to go upstairs," said San. "There's a walk-in closet, where all the jewelry will be."

Mingi and Wooyoung adhered to the suggestion since it would take too long to check every room separately. 

A loud fumbling sound startled everyone hiding in the bushes.

"What happened?" The urgency in Hongjoong's voice traveled through the headsets.

"We tripped over each other," Wooyoung said as he gave Mingi an irritated glare. "Mingi freaked out when he saw the open door."

The others snickered softly, but Hongjoong didn't have time to comment on their incompetence. "Be careful."

Wooyoung led the way. Once he reached the door way and caught a glimpse of the room, he teleported behind one of the thieves and started to strangle him. There were two men in the room, and Wooyoung deliberately chose the shorter one to match his size. A lot of the glass cases were opened already, the empty cushions looking bland without the jewelry sitting on top. 

To Mingi's astonishment, the tall thief ran away immediately when he realized they were caught red-handed. Mingi met the man outside the doorway and he kneed him right in the gut. 

Meanwhile, a ripple of tension spread over the teammates in the courtyard. 

"Mingi and Wooyoung, do you hear me? There are two more thieves on the rooftop." Hongjoong pressed the headset against his ear, but all he could hear were thumping sounds of a fist fight.

The leader turned to Jongho and Yunho. "They're still dealing with the thieves. You have to go."

The brothers looked up at the rooftop. Yunho squinted. "What are they doing up there?" 

"They know Wooyoung and Mingi got the other two." Hongjoong's eyes were closed. Now that he could see the subjects, reading their minds were not hard at all. He even took over one and forced him to look towards the door. "They're escaping. And they blocked the entrance to the rooftop."

"How would they escape?" Jongho couldn't see anything that could help two normal humans escape from a rooftop safely.

"They're waiting for a helicopter," Hongjoong replied with a frown. "And apparently the whole family will sleep through it no problem."

Yunho shook his head. "Rich people and their crazy ideas. The soundproof walls would be the death of them." Then he turned to Jongho. "We'll have to fly up there."

Back inside the house and outside the walk-in closet, the thief groaned and knelt down, but as he did so he wrapped his hands around Mingi's ankles and pulled them towards himself. With his base of support way past his centre of mass, Mingi's upper body was dragged down by the force of gravity, but instead of letting himself fall he arched his back and pressed his palms against the floor, the momentum causing his feet to break off from the burglar's grip and hit the man's nose as Mingi lifted his legs. 

After a back to front cartwheel Mingi was on his feet again. He approached the whimpering thief and gave him another hard kick on his head. The whimpers stopped and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Inside the room, Wooyoung had his arm around the short burglar's neck, which was starting to turn purple. The burglar used the last of his energy to reach inside his pocket and pulled out a dagger. Wooyoung caught the movement as the thief was about to stab his thighs, so he released the strangle, stepped back, and kicked the man's spine, causing him to fall head first onto the side of a small ottoman. Without waiting a moment longer, Wooyoung used a piece of string to tie up the thief. 

Behind the bushes, Yunho held out a hand. "Ready?"

Jongho replied by taking his brother's hand. Then, without further warning, he felt his legs leave the ground.

The night air was chilly, but Jongho still had to summon some wind to help Yunho. His previous experience with San prepared him for this moment, but his palms still sweated profusely from lifting two full-grown men using only air.

Yunho reached the top first. He stretched out his hand when he was almost there and grabbed the ledge of the rooftop so that he can focus his powers on Jongho. But he hadn't anticipated his presence being noticed so quickly, nor the hard punch on his face as he pulled himself up the ledge. 

"Yunho!" came the shouts through the headsets as they saw their teammate dangling dangerously on the edge, no doubt dizzy and disorientated by the hit. 

Since he was high enough in the air, Jongho released his control over the air and allowed himself to fall onto the roof instead. It wasn't a long drop, but he landed quite painfully on his knees, which made him suddenly jealous of Mingi's agility. 

He sprinted to the barrier, pushed aside the man who punched Yunho, and then looked down. The column of wind came almost automatically, as if nature itself was on their side. Yunho shook away the dizziness that clouded his brain just in time and he gripped the edge of the barrier to pull himself up. 

The thief stood up quicker than expected and pulled Jongho from behind. Jongho couldn't react quickly enough and he was thrown onto the ground. At this moment, the barricaded door connecting to the rest of the house slammed opened. Wooyoung teleported next to Jongho and caught him before he fell, and Mingi sprinted towards the thief to land a flying kick on his head.

Not planning to have another surprise attack, the four members remained on high alert and looked to the other side.

The other thief was standing there and looking far into the sky, waiting anxiously for his escape vehicle.

Using his mind, Yunho picked up the bulky bag that sat by the thief's feet and slammed it onto the side of his head. He fell to the ground and rubbed his head with one hand, but before he could stand up Mingi was already there, tying his hands up. 

"Look." Jongho pointed to the sky.

A dot of light flashed in the distance and a helicopter emerged from the darkness. 

Hongjoong's voice came through the headset. "They'll turn away once they see you. Hold them there until the police come."

As if on cue, police sirens started blaring from a distance. 

Yunho and Jongho worked together to force the helicopter to hover in place.

"It's your turn, San," said Hongjoong.

Wooyoung teleported to San and brought him up the rooftop. San walked to the thief. Mingi stayed by his side.

"I suggest you surrender yourselves to the police when they arrive. Tell your buddies in the helicopter to land here after we leave."

"Who do you think you-AH!" The thief started talking but Mingi kicked him to shut him up.

San continued, "The police will be in a much nicer mood if they don't have to waste time tracking you down and returning all the stolen property to their rightful owners, if you know what I mean."

The thief stared daggers at San's face, but had nothing else to say. Mingi untied his hands so he could call his accomplices in the helicopter. And he did.

-

A few reporters arrived at the crime scene while the police was still making their arrests and checking everything that was stolen. 

A woman approached 8 people standing at the entrance of the mansion. "Are you witnesses? How are you related to the owners of this mansion?"

A red-haired man standing at the very front spoke first. "Oh, no, we're-"

A tall man with a huge grin on his face pushed the red-haired man aside. "We're _Alternare_. Have you heard of us? I'm Mingi, and he's-"

" _Alternare?_ Of course I've heard of you," the reporter interrupted enthusiastically. "I was the person who reported you on TV a few months ago! A lot of people have been wondering where you've been."

"Let me introduce ourselves first," the first man spoke again, "I'm Hongjoong, the leader of the group."

The reporter nodded and the camera followed as Hongjoong introduced Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho.

"I'd rather not get into too much detail, but we faced some difficulties among ourselves, and a third party was involved too. After going through the process of getting back together, we realized what we did wrong all this time."

"Does it have to do with the way you complete these missions now?"

"Yes, I guess you can say so, because we stay in the crime scene until the police arrives, instead of running away."

"And you don't wear masks anymore. We even got your names. Is there a reason why you're finally revealing your identity?"

"Let's just say we don't have to hide anymore. We're not as special as some of you might think."

"If superpowers don't make you special, what will?"

"Better superpowers."

The reporter laughed. The 8 men smiled knowingly.

"One more question. We've never seen so many of you before. Is this your whole group?"

Hongjoong turned his head and looked at his members. Then he looked at the reporter and nodded confidently.

"Yes, we have 8 members, with their own unique role in this team. We believe in each other's skills wholeheartedly, and we work all together, without leaving anyone behind."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!
> 
> I had so much fun writing this story (especially the last few chapters), and I enjoyed proofreading it too, so I'm very happy to hear that some my readers really loved this story! There will be a prequel to this soon, so if you want to know how Alternare got their powers and why they got together, make sure to check it out!


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